Braised Cabbage and Sausages (grain-free : gluten-free : primal : GAPS)

Braised cabbage and sausage is so simple to prepare, yet so satisfying.  The cabbage gets cooked down nicely in broth and apple cider vinegar, and it pairs so well with sausages. My family really enjoys this dish.

Braised Cabbage and Sausages
Serves 4 

• one medium head of green cabbage, chopped
• 3 Tb apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tb butter, preferably from pastured cows
• one cup (8 oz) chicken broth, preferably homemade*
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt (or less if your broth is salted)
• pinch of freshly ground pepper
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 4 sausage links (such as bratwurst, sweet sausage, or chicken apple sausage), chopped into pieces

1. In a 4-qt pot, combine all ingredients except the sausages.  Cover the pot and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, until the cabbage is mostly cooked. Stir occasionally.
2. Add chopped sausages to the pot and stir to combine. If the sausages are already fully cooked, they just need to be warmed through, and will be done in about 15 minutes.  For raw sausages, cook them for at least 25-30 minutes. 
3. For the last 10-15 minutes of the cooking time, remove the lid from the pot and increase the heat slightly. This will allow some of the liquid to evaporate. 
4. Taste the cabbage to check for saltiness, and add more salt as needed. Serve and enjoy!

*My homemade chicken broth includes a bit of chicken fat.  If yours doesn't, you may want to add another tablespoon of butter.
**To make this GAPS-legal, make sure the sausages don't have any added sugar, MSG, or other GAPS-illegal ingredients. We eat Applegate Organics Chicken and Apple Sausages, which don't have any GAPS-illegal ingredients. Nonetheless, you should probably only consume processed meats occasionally while on the GAPS diet.