fried sauerkraut

Sometimes, a well-behaved vegan really needs to switch up her routine. Too much of the same thing over and over again is enough to make any normal person go absolutely insane, myself very much included. The spiritual rewards of a meal-prep-based lifestyle are, of course, rich and extensive, but if I have to eat one more god damned jar salad this week, I'm going to lose my shit.

Today's adventure is a welcome departure from the comfortable and familiar. It evokes exotic imagery of a lavish way of life that is not ours, of beautiful women much different from our own. This recipe takes #BudgetWeek overseas to my favorite European country and yours, Germany, for a taste of what has to be one of their most popular exports: sauerkraut. And you thought living on a budget would be boring.

sauerkraut

white onion, sliced

olive oil

salt

pepper

I'm pretty sure lighting this stuff up eliminates most if not all of the sauerkraut's probiotic culture, but I'm choosing to ignore that fact at this time. Eat it on top of a non-dairy yogurt or something if you care all that much, I don't know. Get the hell away from me.

Like usual, the onions go in first. Whether that's because they take longer to cook or because they somehow season the pan even after absorbing all of the oil, I'll never have any clue. I've been doing this for too long to not know the answer to that question.

I give you fair warning: this kraut came from a jar, not from a warm, special place in my heart. I know nothing about fermentation and am not willing to gamble my life trying to figure it out.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and toss until golden. Be patient; it turns out way better if you really give everything some TLC at this juncture. Just take your time.

My first time having this was a real treat. Sure, it is technically fried, but the fact that it consists mostly of water vegetables decreases the guilt-factor significantly for me. A girl's just gotta let loose sometimes.

This jar of cabbage was a dollar seventy-nine at Aldi and believe me when I tell you it was worth every single penny . You can really do a lot of weird things with this stuff; mostly I just like to eat a bite of it straight out of the jar with my coffee in the morning. I don't really know if it's good for me, but I do know I enjoy the sweet and salty combination.

I think some people serve it with Polish sausage and/or pierogi dumplings, but I didn't have either of those things and quite frankly I can't even be bothered. I think it tastes fine on its own, anyway.

You can eat this meal at any time of the day, but I find that it's best in the morning. It pairs well with half of an orange and a strong cup of tea.