Cabbage Rolls, Plant-based

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, PBNAF

Cabbage Rolls, a heart healthy version without meat or oil.

When I was much younger and my daughter was two or three years old, I joined a garden club in Spokane to meet other people who liked to garden and meet prospective landscape clients.  As it turned out, I was too young for the group and they really didn’t want me bringing a little child around disrupting their meetings. But the last meeting I went to was a Christmas party where everyone brought a dish. I don’t even remember what I took but what I do remember is that it was the first time I ever tasted stuffed cabbage leaves, or "cabbage rolls".  I was hooked.  I thought they were so delicious that I asked for the recipe. The lady who brought them sat down and wrote it out for me.  I have kept it all these years and I have never made them once.  Don’t ask me why, it was just one of those things to get around to "someday".  Well, today is someday.

So without further delay, here is a great and meat-free stuffed cabbage recipe!  No onions, no added fat.  The original recipe called for meat and onions and oil.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, or Cabbage Rolls

Serves 4-6
Time:  1 hour prep, 1 hour simmer

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage with core carefully removed
1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup garbanzo beans, mashed

1 teaspoon vegetarian bouillon, not-beef flavored

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon Bragg essential amino acids
2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushrooms, minced

1 cup celery, minced
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon Bragg 24 herb seasoning
1 teaspoon Maggie seasoning sauce or tamari
extra broth for drizzling

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Sauce:

1 large jar tomato sauce (I like Muir Glen Garlic Roasted Garlic)*
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
Vegan parmesan for topping, optional

 *Or use your favorite recipe for marinara sauce

Filling for cabbage rolls

Cabbage Rolls just starting to simmer in the sauce.

• Begin by cooking the brown rice if it isn't already. I like to make it by putting in one part rice to two 1/2 parts water with a little bouillon for flavor.  
• Put a large pot of water on the stove to simmer. This is what you will use to soften the cabbage leaves.
• Next, mash the garbanzo beans and add the vegetarian bouillon, not-beef flavored, Bragg essential amino acids and the liquid smoke to it. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
• Prepare the celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Place in large non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the seasoning and mushroom broth.
• Place the cabbage in the simmering pot of water. Try not to tear or cut any of the leaves. Let them soften for 3 to 5 minutes.
• After the celery is tender, add one cup of cooked brown rice, the TVP, flaxseed meal, chia seeds and the black beans. If mixture appears really dry, drizzle some broth over to help it stick together. This is the filling for the cabbage rolls. Remove filling from skillet and place into a large bowl.
• Use the same large skillet to warm the tomato sauce, sugar and vinegar over low heat.   
• Remove a few leaves of cabbage--they should be pliable but not too soft. Go ahead and turn off the simmering water--remove all the leaves if they look like they are cooking to fast. I scooped them into a colander set over another large pot next to the stove and that worked well.
• Take a large cabbage leaf and remove the thickest part of the center rib. You may just have to cut the leaf in half, but try to only remove about half of the center rib. The part closest to the stem is the toughest--get rid of that.
• Spoon about 2 or 3 tablespoons of filling on one side and roll the leaf around it to contain it completely.
• Place each cabbage roll into the skillet with the tomato sauce mixture. Continue until skillet is full Spoon hot tomato sauce over the top to cover instead of rolling them. These need to simmer on low for 40 to 60 minutes. (We ate them after 30 minutes and they probably should have cooked a little longer.)
• Alternate serving idea: When there was filling and leaves left over after the sauce skillet was packed full, we used a softened leaf as a sort of taco shell by putting some filling inside and wrapping the leaf around it. We consumed these without tomato sauce at all and they were delicious, (in fact I think I prefer them without the sauce).  Reminiscent of the lettuce wraps appetizer at PF Chang's Restaurant.