2013 Vegan Christmas Collection: Sides- Red Cabbage with fennel and Cumin and more...

This makes a great side dish as part of a roast dinner, or add it to bread and a source of protein for lunch. The orange garnish is an optional extra.

Welcome to our first post for Christmas 2013, where we add to our collection from the last 3 years. With each category's new "headlining" recipe there are also links to more recipes in the same category. We hope you find them useful for planning your holiday meals, whether you are entertaining on a grand scale or having a cosy get-together with friends or family. Check out our Pinterest Christmas Recipes board too, which will feature these recipes, and our Vegan Recipes board, which has links to some great recipes from other websites and blogs.

Red cabbage is an old favourite at Christmas time, as it's in season in the Northern Hemisphere around now. Most of us saw it first pickled in jars, but there are so many more ways to serve it, both raw and cooked. This is a quick and easy cooked red cabbage dish with a subtle, aromatic sweetness from the fennel and cumin seeds. You could also try caraway seeds instead of fennel. It could be useful paired up with a rich main course, as both these seeds aid digestion! This recipe serves about 6 as a side dish:

500g red cabbage (about half an average-sized cabbage), sliced or coarsely shredded

1 1/2 tabs olive oil

1 1/2 tsps cumin seeds

1 1/2 tps fennel seeds (sounf)

1/2 tsp course black pepper

1/2 tsp seasalt

a dash of lemon juice

• Stir fry the cabbage in the oil with the cumin and fennel seeds, until the seeds are just toasting and releasing their aromas, and the cabbage is starting to soften.
• Add the salt and pepper and stir-fry for a minute longer.
• Put the lid on the pan and sweat over a low heat until the cabbage is cooked. (Keep an eye on it to make sure there is sufficient juice from the cabbage to prevent scorching. If there isn't, you can help things along by turning the heat down further and adding a splash of water- but only a splash).
• Add the lemon juice before serving. 

Take a look at our other vegetable sides- click on the names:

• Baked beetroot with cumin

• Smoky swede mash

• Maple Brussels sprouts

• Kabocha puree