Stuffed Cabbage

I can veganize pretty much any of my family's old recipes, and this is one of my favorites--a delicious, simple, comfort food dish made healthy. 

Note: There's a lot of info out there saying that soy is bad for you. Not all soy is created equal, and much of this information is false. Soy can be an incredibly healthy part of your diet in moderation. (Check www.nutritionfacts.org for more info.) Some also say soy is bad for the environment, and it can be depending on how it's grown. The vast majority of soy is fed to animals, so if you really want to cut down on soy agriculture, the most impactful way is to decrease or stop eating animals. We make sure the soy products we buy are non-GMO, organic, and responsibly grown.

1 small-medium green cabbage
1 small onion, chopped
1.5 C. cooked brown rice
1 block/package of tempeh, crumbled into small pieces (can sub crumbled extra firm tofu)
2 small cans tomato soup or 1 small jar red pasta sauce
salt and pepper
spices of choice: I use cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sautee onion in 2 T. olive or coconut oil over medium heat until translucent (a few minutes). Add tempeh and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in spices (except salt and pepper) to taste. (Don't be afraid to spice it up as the cabbage leaves have a mild taste, and the soup/sauce will help to balance the spices.)

In a large bowl, combine rice, tempeh, and onion. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Boil water in a large pot. Peel off cabbage leaves, keeping them whole (or as close to it as possible). Blanch leaves in water, a few at a time (just let them boil for a few minutes until slightly floppy).

Take cabbage leaf so it's like a little cup and place about 1/4-1/2 C. (depending on the size of the leaf) of the rice mixture in it. Roll once forward, fold in sides of leaf, and continue to roll until it looks like a little cabbage burrito. Place in a medium casserole dish and repeat with other leaves until mixture/leaves are used up. (If you have extra mix, you can serve it on the side with some chopped lightly boiled cabbage, or save it to use with another dish.) Stuffed leaves should be tucked into close to one another in the casserole dish.

Cover cabbage rolls generously with soup or sauce. Cover the dish with foil and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes.