Every year around St. Patrick’s Day, the grocery store has a huge display of cabbage.  But you don’t actually have to eat cabbage with corned beef.  While I like a good boiled dinner once a year, cabbage is a versatile vegetable.  Remember these egg rolls?

This time, I used cabbage in a stir fry, inspired by this recipe from Eating Well.  I substituted chicken for the beef in the original recipe, and added sliced baby bella mushrooms which were on sale.  I turned up the heat in the peanut sauce with cayenne pepper, and the end result was a tasty (and vegetable-packed) meal.

I served the stir fry over rice, and there was plenty of sauce to soak up.  You could also serve this with noodles if you like.  So hurry up and grab a head of cabbage before the grocery store takes down the display!

Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

1/4 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. Trop 50 orange juice
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
Dash cayenne
4 t canola oil, divided
1 T garlic ginger paste
1 lb. boneless, skinless, chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
1 bunch scallion, white and light green parts only, chopped
1 (8 oz.) package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 medium head cabbage, chopped
1/4 c. water

In a small bowl, whisk peanut butter, orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cayenne.  Set aside.

In a large pan, heat 2 t oil. Sauce garlic ginger paste for 2 minutes.  Add chicken, and saute until chicken is cooked through.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 t oil in pan.  Saute scallion for 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms, and saute for 5-10 minutes, until beginning to brown.  Add cabbage and water, and saute until tender.  (If all the cabbage doesn’t fit in the pan, add a portion and allow it cook down, and then add the rest.)  Add reserved chicken and peanut sauce.  Stir, and heat through.

-Adapted from Eating Well

• Main Dishes