No, I am not on the cabbage soup diet…I'm having too much success with the 17DD. BUT…I've learned that there is something to be said for cabbage soup.
When I was a kid my mother used to make cabbage soup when it snowed. It was something that I can just picture my ancestors cooking up durning those cold, Russian winters. Total peasant food. I don't remember liking it very much, but I loved to pick out the meat that my mom put into the soup. It was called flanken…which are short ribs cut across the bone. Delicious. Not an easy find in my area, but places with a larger Jewish population will usually carry it in the grocery store. I suppose you could ask your butcher to cut the short ribs across the bone…but either way it is NOT a healthy option. So, I opted for a leaner cut of stew meat when I decided to make myself a pot of cabbage soup.
I started off with a head of cabbage, a sweet onion, a large can of San Marzano tomato puree, and a package of stew meat. I cut the meat into smaller, bite-size pieces and browned it in a large stockpot with the chopped onion. After it cooked for a bit, I drained off the fat. I shredded the cabbage and dumped it into the pot with the can of tomatoes. I added enough water to cover the cabbage and that was it. Covered it up and walked away. After a couple of hours I added some salt and pepper. In an attempt to replicate the sweet and sour flavor that my mother always achieved with sugar and sour salt, I added a couple of packets of Truvia and some lemon juice. I could not find sour salt in the store around here. Guess it is like the elusive flanken-cut of meat. Only found in certain areas! Who knows?
Was this the best soup ever?
Not even close. But it was decent. It was filling.
It was a miracle!
I would eat some cabbage soup for lunch and then the next day the scale went down. It happened EVERY time I ate the soup. I am sure it was mostly coincidence but there has to be SOMETHING going on. Whatever it is, I'll take it. To be able to drop 11 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas is no easy feat…but my new best friend cabbage soup was there to help me along!
I can't promise you any miracles, and I can't even promise you a super-delicious bowl of soup…but here is my hodgepodge recipe:
Cabbage Soup
1 head of green cabbage
1 sweet onion
28-32 ounce can tomato puree
2 pounds stew meat cut into bite size pieces, or 2 pounds lean ground beef
water (or beef broth to add more flavor)
salt and pepper
Truvia
lemon juice
olive oil for sauté
In a large stockpot, heat enough olive oil to sauté the beef and onion. Cook until onions are translucent and beef is browned. Drain off fat and return to pot. Shred head of cabbage and add to pot with the can of tomatoes. Add enough water to cover the cabbage, bring to a boil. Immediately turn to low/simmer and cover. After an hour or more, add seasonings to taste.
So, I won't win any prizes for this recipe..but I feel like I have won the lottery on the scale! Try it out and see if you get similar results!
