Cabbage Rolls

I worked from home today, so I figured this would be a good day to make cabbage rolls. This is the recipe my mom used to make (well, minus the meat, of course) and comes from a family friend. The sauce is the key to this recipe--it is thick and rich and perfectly spiced. For the filling I went with tempeh, which turned out to be the perfect choice since it has the texture of ground beef. All in all, the recipe was a grand success! If you have a few hours, these cabbage rolls are well worth the time.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 large green cabbage

Sauce

- 1 48oz can tomato juice

- 6 tbsp lemon juice

- 1 tsp dill

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 2 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer. Make the filling.

Filling

- 1 lb tempeh

- 2 cups cooked rice

- 4 tbsp oil

- 2 onions, diced

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp ground fennel

- 2 tbsp sage

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp thyme

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp HP sauce

- 2-3 tbsp water

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Boil tempeh in water in a sauce pan for 10 mins. Remove from water and cool. When cool, grate coarsely.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan and saute onions and garlic for 5 mins, until onions are translucent. Add in grated tempeh and fry for 5 mins, stirring constantly. Add in spices, soy and HP sauce, and water. Mix well. Add more water is mixture is too dry and spices won't mix through. Season with salt and pepper and adjust seasonings to taste. Mix in rice.

Cabbage Rolls

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Core cabbage. Place in a large pot of boiling water. Remove cabbage leaves with tongs as they cook. Cut off any extra tough pieces of stem. Place about 1/3 cup of tempeh mixture on the cabbage leaf, near stem. Roll half way, fold in both sides, then complete rolling (like a burrito). Place in a roasting pan. Repeat until all filling is used.

2. Pour sauce over all cabbage rolls. Cover over with any remaining cabbage leaves. Cover with lid and bake for at least 1.5 hours.

3. Top with tofu sour cream and serve.