Inspired by the Fallow Chefs’ confit caramelized cabbage, I made a vegan braised caramelized cabbage for dinner tonight, with pearl barley and split peas then finished in the stock. The recipe was improvised and not recorded exactly but the results were amazing.

The cabbage came out very sweet and caramelized, like the confit method appears but less buttery. Texture was nice, soft enough that the inner layers could be cut with a fork but not mushy.

I’ve written up the process below as best I can remember it.

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This is an easy recipe that can be a side dish as half an onion, or the main meal with more halves and the addition of some extra grains/pasta/etc to soak up the sauce. No animal products or gluten required.

Serves 3-6 (half or a whole onion) and costs about AU$2 (as of November 2025).

Based on the “Baked Onions” recipe in an old Family Circle Kids Microwave Cooking book I had as a kid.

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I always have some of this on hand to have as breakfast, a quick snack or healthy dessert with yogurt. The seeds provide enough oil for the toasting so there is no need to add more fat, making it much healthier than most store bought muselis with added oil and sugar.

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10 minutes cooking time, that is, so to be honest it’s about 12-15 minutes total.

This is my usual standby meal because it meats (heh) all my requirements:

• High in fibre (wholegrain burgul and veg)

• High in protein (soya mince and wholegrains)

• Relatively low in calories

• Filling meaty taste, but no animal products

• Each serve contains two 75g Australian “serves” of vegetables

• Only uses non-perishable ingredients, so no need to plan ahead

• Faster to make from scratch than to get takeaway

• Only uses one pan/pot

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An article in last month’s Science, “Cooked starchy rhizomes in Africa 170 thousand years ago”, provides some archaeological evidence of early humans cooking and eating tuber-like vegetables.

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When you need a dessert that ticks all the boxes, including laziness.

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