Cabbage Rolls with Quinoa and Vegetables

 Here's the biggest part of this year's Seder that was not previously published.  I'm not bothering to post the soup or how to roast a chicken leg quarter.  Maybe I'll post the parfaits, but it's just layering sweetened whipped cream and drained frozen fruit.  Not exactly a "recipe".

These were a surprising hit.  I just made them as a non-starchy vegetable side.  They are a vegetarian main, vegan if you skip the egg.  And they came out huge.  I got nine leaves large enough to roll about half a cup of filling, then filled two one-cup ramekins with the rest and baked them off.  Without an egg, you don't technically have to bake these at all.  I'm altering the filling in the posted recipe closer to four servings.

You're going to have half a head of cabbage left, the inside half.  It's just the way cabbage rolls work.  You can stew it up, put it in soup, make slaw, ferment into sauerkraut, or any other dish you can dream up.  At least it's healthy leftovers.

I was working on these when the kitchen drain went through its death throes, and completely forgot to take pictures of it in the baking pan or serving dish.  They pretty much looked like the photo up top of the leftovers.

1/2 C quinoa
1 large carrot
1 medium turnip
1 egg, optional
1 large cabbage
salt and pepper to taste
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb white wine vinegar

1.  Cook quinoa to package directions, which may require pre-rinsing.  This part can be made ahead.

2.  Peel and shred carrot and turnip.  Toss with quinoa, salt, and pepper.  Beat egg lightly, if using, and combine with stuffing ingredients.

3.  Boil half a pasta pot with lightly salted water.  The hard part of this recipe is separating the cabbage leaves.  If you have a system, great.  Mine is to cut the core deeper as I go and hope for the best.  Blanch the leaves until pliable, about 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

4.  On a work surface, lay one leaf flat.  Fill middle with about 1/2 C of the filling.  Pull in sides, fold over flimsy top, and roll so the stem side is on the outside.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish and repeat until you have 6-8 rolls.

5.  Preheat oven to 375º.  In a bowl, combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar into a sweet and sour sauce.  Pour over rolls.

6.  Bake until heated through to cook the egg, about 30 minutes.  Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Makes about 8

Difficulty rating  :)