How to make vegetarian cabbage stir fry

When you think of cabbage, what do you think of? Most people probably think about coleslaw, but I always think about my grandmother’s noodles and cabbage. It was a simple dish – literally just noodles and cabbage – that put dinner on the table during lean times. Over the years, I modified her basic version to become the recipe below. It's filled with heart-healthy vegetables and I swapped in zoodles (spiralized zucchini) for the pasta noodles.

You can have some fun with this stir fry recipe and add in a few ingredients so it suits your mood. If I'm craving Chinese take-out, I'll toss in some Asian-inspired ingredients such as sesame oil, soy sauce, chili flakes and minced ginger. Other times, I go German-style and add caraway seeds, mustard and sauerkraut. The possibilities are endless with this base recipe, so feel free to experiment.

Vegetarian cabbage stir fry
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small green cabbage, cut into 1/8-inch shreds
1 large carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups spiralized zucchini (zoodles)

Directions:
1. Chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives or cilantro)

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until it shimmers.

3. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrot and red bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, until the cabbage begins to wilt.

4. Put in the salt, pepper and wine. Cover and cook for 1 minute before uncovering and cooking for an additional 1 minute.

5. Add the zucchini noodles and toss to coat. Cook until the zucchini is softened, about 3 minutes.

6. Top with chopped fresh herbs and serve hot.