Stuffed Cabbage

So just by looking at whats below, you're probably freaking over how extensive it is.  But trust me, it really doesn't take much time at all.  The stuffing and sauce can also be pre-made the night before, then simply assemble and throw in the oven when you're ready.  This recipe is sooo worth the effort.  We devoured every last bite.  It also sounds like a super fatty meal... IRISH FOOD... stuffed anything.... but its really not.  The layering of all the flavors creates an amazing meal, low in calories and fat (also low in carbs if you substitute cauliflower rice for regular).


STUFFING
8 oz. block Tempeh, shredded
1 c. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 yellow Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
2.5 tsp. Cumin
1.5 tsp. Smoked Paprika
2 tsp. Olive Oil


TOMATO FENNEL SAUCE
8-10 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 large head Savoy Cabbage

Begin by making your tomato sauce.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Score the bottoms of your tomatoes and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until you notice the skin start to peel away.  Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  You dont want the tomatoes to become mushy...ick.  After they have cooled, peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in a medium soup pot.  Add onion and bell pepper and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally (if pan becomes sticky, add a little salt)  Toss in garlic and fennel.  Cook for another minute.  Add in tomato and red wine vinegar.  Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes until tomatoes have broken down.  Puree'.

(So obviously I had waaaay too much time on my hands haha.  If you want to simplify this recipe, you can just used canned tomatoes instead, or a pre-made tomato sauce.  But the fennel in this sauce gives it a really unique flavor)

While the sauce is cooking, begin making the stuffing.  Saute' onions in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until softened.  Add in remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until mushrooms are cooked and tempeh had browned.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

To prep the cabbage, simply place the leaves in a pot of already boiling water for 3-5 minutes until softened.  Remove the tough bottom core of the leaf.

To assemble, fill the leaves with about 2 tbsp. of the stuffing and roll up like a burrito, folding in all sides.  Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Place stuffed cabbage on top, and layer again with remaining tomato sauce.  Cook in a 350 degree over, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.  Serve over delicious cauliflower rice, brown rice, or both :)

Balsamic Mushrooms

1 tbsp.  Olive Oil
1 Leek, sliced
8  oz. whole Cremini Mushrooms
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 cloves Garlic
3 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add in leek and saute for 3 minutes.  Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook another minute.  Add mushrooms and balsamic vinegar.  Cook another 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Raw Nori Roll

I served these rolls with FRIED tofu. You gotta have a balance... Raw and fried are like ying and yang ;). Okay, not really, but it was tasty!

Cauliflower "Rice" (recipe below)
Marinated Shiitake Mushrooms (recipe below)
Sprouts
Avocado, sliced
Cucumber, julienned
Red Bell Pepper, julienned
Basil

Nori (Seaweed) Sheets

Bamboo mat

To Assemble Rolls:
Cover your bamboo mat with plastic wrap and lay out one nori sheet (Nori sheets have divet lines on them to show where to cut. Make sure to lay these lines perpindicular to the bamboo, then lay the ingredients parallel the bamboo to ensure proper rolling). Cover nori with "rice" leaving out the first and last inch of the nori (start and finish rolling points). Lay out a line of each of the remaining ingredients at the start of where you will begin to roll. Brush the end of your roll with some water.

Begin to roll and tuck around the filling as you would a burrito. Continue to roll, ensuring even pressure along the length of the roll, and pulling away plastic wrap as needed (it may fall out of place). Continue to roll until all of the nori has been wrapped around itself. Be gentle with the roll, and remove from mat. Wet down a sharp knife and cut into 6-8 pieces. Wet down knife before each cut (this prevents the knife from sticking and ripping the roll into shreds, which you will then serve as salad, which I can't tell you vie done so many times! And it sucks!). Continue with remaining ingredients. I made 3 rolls with the amount of cauliflower "rice" this recipe provides.


CAULIFLOWER RICE
1 head of Cauliflower
1/4 c. Raw Almonds
2 Green Onions
1 1/2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
Juice of 1/2 large Lemon

Break cauliflower into small pieces and remove stems. Place in a food processor with almonds and green onions. Chop until broken into tiny pieces resembling rice. Stir in soy sauce and lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Easier than making real rice! Who'da thunk it?!

MARINATED SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
2 c. Shiitake Mushrooms, 3/4" slice
3 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. Toasted Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp. Mirin
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 tsp. Ginger, grated

Combine all ingredients in a bowl except for mushrooms. Once combined, toss with mushrooms until thoroughly coated. Let marinate anywhere from 5 mins to an hour. Any longer and they may become too soggy.

Barley Salad

This salad tastes great on it's own or can be used for stuffing. It has a tangy, fresh taste that's perfect lunch. I used this recipe to stuff portobello mushrooms and it turned out delicious!

1/2 c. Barley
1/2 c. Vegetable Broth or water

2 tsp. Olive Oil
2 Shallots, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Zucchini, chopped
1/4 c. Artichokes in oil, chopped
1/4 c. Kalamata Olives, sliced
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
Season with salt and pepper

Bring a half cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in barley, cover and reduce heat. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in shallots and cook 2 minutes. Add in garlic and cook another minute, stirring as to not let it burn. Add in zucchini and cook 3-5 minutes until it begins to soften. Lower heat and add in artichokes, olives, salt and pepper. Add in parsley at the last minute. When the barley has finished cooking and cooled, add it in with the vegetable mixture.

Makes 2 servings

Portobello Steaks

Portobello Mushrooms have a naturally meaty, earthy flavor, and are often substituted in the place of meat dishes and burgers.  They also easily absorb flavors which make them incredibly versatile and juicy!  Here, I decided to marinate and stuff them in an Italian style.  I must say, my favorite way to eat them is between two buns, but this is a nice change.

2 Large Portobello Mushrooms

1/4 c. White Wine

1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard, whole grain
2 cloves Garlic, minced

Clean mushrooms and remove the stems.  Place the mushrooms in a dish with gill sides up.  Combine all of the marinade ingredients and pour over the gills of the mushrooms and use hands to coat the bottoms.  Marinate for at least an hour.

From here, you can bake, broil, or grill the mushrooms.

I baked mine at 375 degrees for 10 minutes , gill side down, then flipped and stuffed them with the Barley Salad, and baked them another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the mushroom.

White Bean Ratatouille

1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 1/2 c. Leeks, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
3 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 1/2 c. Fennel, thinly sliced
1/4 c. White Wine
3/4 c. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
15 oz. Can Diced Tomato
15 oz. Can White Beans (aka canelli)
1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet or saute' pan. Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add a pinch of salt if the pan becomes too dry. Add garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook another 30 seconds. Stir in fennel and cook another 30 seconds. Add wine to deglaze pan and stir until all of the wine has evaporated, another 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, white beans, roasted red pepper and balsamic and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, for another 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavor has developed. Season with salt and pepper.

*I served the ratatouille atop a bed of raw spinach. The heat from the ratatouille wilted the spinach and I was able to mix it in with the rest of the dish.
Serves 3-4

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir Fry

STIR FRY

1/2 tsp. Ginger, grated

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3 Green Onions

3 c. Napa Cabbage, shredded

3 c. Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c. Bean Sprouts (I used mung beans)

3 oz. Buckwheat Soba Noodles, pre-cooked or dried (if using dried, cook according to manufacturer's  directions before adding to the vegetables.)

Over medium heat add a little bit of oil to a large skillet, enough to coat the bottom.  Add the garlic, ginger and green onions and saute' 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and saute' another minute.  Add cabbage and half of sauce.  Cook another 5-7 minutes until cabbage has cooked down, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat slightly and add in bean sprouts, soba noodles and remaining sauce. Toss to combine and cook until heated through.

SPICY DRESSING

1.5 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil

3/4 tsp. Olive Oil

2 tbsp. Seasoned Bean Paste

1.5 tsp. Rice Vinegar

3/4 tsp. Mirin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until completely combined.

                                                  

                                        

            Yummy Seasoned Bean Paste!  

Slightly spicy and very salty.  The market had one labeled spicy, but I didn't get it because I was scared I would burn my tongue off, which I'm sure I would've, because this one was just right.  I also omitted using any salt or soy sauce because it was so salty on its own.  The vinegar also helps to cut down some of the saltiness.

*I served this with a side of roasted kabocha squash.