1. Rinse the quinoa in a bowl or fine strainer until the water is clear. Fill a medium saucepan with the water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then stir in the quinoa. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the quinoa has absorbed almost all the water, 10-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set the quinoa aside to steam and finish cooking.

2. Prep the rest of the ingredients. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the foam subsides. Add the ham and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham browns some, 2-4 minutes.

3. Stir in the cabbage, season lightly with salt (the ham is salty), pepper and 1/2 the sage, and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage wilts some, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 4-6 minutes. Uncover the pan and stir in the remaining sage. Continue cooking until most of the liquid evaporates and the cabbage is tender, 3-5 minutes more. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

4. Uncover the quinoa and fluff it with a fork before serving. Serve the cabbage and ham on a bed of quinoa.