Vegan Gluten-Free Krautfleckerl with Homemade Sauerkraut

I spent two lovely years living in Vienna. The art, music, and architecture were all wonderful to experience, as was the food. Being a vegetarian at the time, however, made it a bit difficult to experience a lot of traditional foods. Krautfleckerl was one that sometimes met the requirements, if speck (bacon) was not involved. With a few modifications I have made my own vegan, gluten-free adaptation with homemade sauerkraut!

Sauerkraft is high in vitamins A and C, is anti-inflammatory, and contains phytonutrient antioxidants. It acts as a probiotic, full of good bacteria which feeds on the harmful parasites and yeast inside your body. Studies have even shown sauerkraut and other fermented foods to prevent cancer. Plus, it is delicious! I know it sounds scary to try fermenting, but it is actually really easy!

Homemade Sauerkraut

1/2 head of green cabbage
2 tablespoons of pink Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

Cut or shred the cabbage into fine pieces. Use a large mason jar, or similar glass container with a lid, and pack the cabbage in tightly. Cover with salt and smash down with a wooden breakdown the roughness of the cabbage a bit. Add caraway seeds and apple cider vinegar. Fill the remaining space with spring water or filtered water. Close jar loosely. Leave the jar out of sunlight at room temperature for about 3 days. The jar will need to be "burped"(opened to release any excess gas) about twice a day.

Krautfleckerl

1 jar of homemade sauerkraut
1 box of gluten-free shell pasta (I use quinoa)
2 or 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
6 to 8 sundried tomatoes (I prefer ones not packed in oil so I can hydrate them myself and they don't contain sulfites)
pink Himalayan salt to taste

Soak the sundried tomatoes in water with a few drops of oil to hydrate. Boil water and prepare the pasta. In a pan at a low temperature melt the coconut oil. Cut the sundried tomatoes into tiny bacon-like pieces and add to the pan. Add cooked pasta to the pan. Turn off the heat and mix in the sauerkraut (this is important to keep the benefits of the live culture). Salt to taste and enjoy!