Well, I'm German-Russian so I grew up eating LOTS of fried cabbage. Actually, lots of cabbage cooked in many different ways. The way I cook it is not fat-free but also not ridiculously over indulgent.

I start with browning 4 slices of diced bacon for 1 head of cabbage. Remove bacon when crisp. Then, add shredded or chopped cabbage, 1 whole diced/sliced onion, a couple minced garlic cloves, and 1 peeled/diced Granny Smith apple, salt and a good amount of fresh ground black pepper. Stir fry it on medium high for about 10 minutes then cover and simmer until tender. Add the bacon back in with the cabbage. The apple disappears but gives the dish a nice background. Yummy. It freezes well so we've almost always got it ready for a quick side dish. I often use fried cabbage as a base to roast pork tenderloin - especially in the fall. Delicious with green beans/new potatoes.

tricia

Butter Buds or Molly McButter are fat-free, butter-flavored powders you may want to take a look at. But personally, I think you will miss that mouth-feel and flavor you can only get with a "real" fat, especially butter. And when it comes to calories and grams of fat, one fat is about the same as another, so I'd suggest using less before going "fake".

If you use 1 t. butter per cup of cabbage that's just over 3 grams of fat per 1-cup serving.

-Grainlady

I believe you can ween yourself off of butter, mayo and fats by using light olive oil, coconut oil and/or non-fat greek yogurts and citrus like lemon. We did that about ten yrs ago.
It does take a palate adjustment but still is full of flavor and healthier.
For greens like cabbage, kale, chard, escarole we toast slowly, thinly sliced garlic until light brown chips in just a tsp of oil. Remove and set aside and toss in the warm pan very thinly slices greens. Their moisture will sizzle in the hot pan. Toss a bit like a stir fry, add a 1/4 cup of moisture, (water, wine or beer) and cover to steam. (sliced very thin they cook faster than the old fashioned boiled style greens). Juice of half a lemon, a splash of AC vinegar and a tbsp of greek yogurt for a bit of creamy before serving...top with garlic chips.

We love bacon! Who doesn't. But we save that treat for the rare BLT with a fresh tomato.
Often using a couple slices of prosciutto toasted under the broiler for a less fatty choice.
(still packed with salt but much less than bacon).

Nothing browns a crab or cod cake or soft shell crab like butter so i do have some in the freezer but we might go through a lb a year or less.

I bought some butter flavored cooking spray but could not find molly or butter buds. I will have to call ahead to see if I can find them at stores I don't normally go to.

If I don't cut it(margarine or butter) out completely it will sneak back in slowly but surely. Want to save my fats for olive oil and lemon pepper on salads.

Will try adding garlic and onions to help with the change over Thank-you.

C L Blakey:

Just an FYi: I think the Butter Buds and Molly McButter are found in the spice aisle.

Liz

This post was edited by lizbeth-gardener on Thu, Sep 5, 13 at 10:02

Posted by sleevendog "I believe you can ween yourself off of butter, mayo and fats by using light olive oil, coconut oil and/or non-fat greek yogurts and citrus like lemon. We did that about ten yrs ago.
It does take a palate adjustment but still is full of flavor and healthier. ------"

Very true. One lb of butter will last me two years. I use butter more if I cook for someone else.

dcarch

Like Tricia, I use a couple of slices of bacon to fry cabbage, if I'm judicious it doesn't add a ton of fat, just enough to flavor the cabbage. I have done it with olive oil also, and just a bit of butter for flavor.

I also add onions and sometimes apples to the cabbage, and I love it pretty much any way. However, I don't use the "fake" fats at all. I'm not convinced that they are any better for you than the real stuff and don't taste nearly as good.

Good luck in finding what works for you. As I've often said, taste is not objective, it's subjective. I'll give up pasta and pizza and spend the calories on butter! (grin) Others would do otherwise...

Annie

The overall advice here from nutritionists is that a little fat is vital in your diet. So 10g of butter a day is good for you. Here, you can get butter in 10g portions so it's easy not to abuse it!!!
Also, a tablespoon of vinaigrette a day is advised too.

So I thought I would check in I made fried cabbage for dinner tonight using butter flavored spray onions and garlic oh my I think we have a new favorite. We both loved it.

Also thanks about the molly mcbutter found it tonight in a store I rarely go to it was in the spice isle.

I use alot of cider vinegar so that should not be an issue.

Great minds think alike! I made it for DH tonight as well. In reality I used shredded Brussels sprouts, I sauteed Penzey's garlic in a little EVOO. Then added dried proscuitto bits until softened. Then added the sprouts, a little rice vinegar, more apple cider vinegar and finished with some chopped apple. He loved it!
This thread was my inspiration and I'm grateful it was here. I was running on slow speed today and this was exactly what I needed to finish up the last of some fresh Brussels sprouts.

I usually use both olive oil and butter when I fry cabbage. Onions are also a must! I was taught to just use vegetable oil instead. Sometimes I put kielbasa or bacon in also.

This thread made me hungry for cabbage! There's some good recipes/ideas on the Cook-a-Long CABBAGE thread in the FAQ that Ann T. posted. I'm going to expand my usual "go-to" cabbage usage this season.

/tricia

This post was edited by triciae on Fri, Sep 6, 13 at 12:43