Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

6 savoy cabbage leaves

1/2 cup onion-diced

2 cloves garlic-pressed

1/2 cup red pepper-diced

2 portobello mushrooms-diced

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 cup navy beans

Tomato Sauce

1 large tomato-diced

1/2 cup veggie tomato juice

4 cloves garlic-pressed

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

2 tsp fresh oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Makes 6 cabbage rolls, serves 3

Directions

1. Start making the tomato sauce first so that it can simmer while you are preparing the rest of the meal and the flavors can develop

2. Place the tomato & the remaining ingredients in a saucepan & bring to a low boil

3. Once the sauce is boiling turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for 30 minutes

4. Meanwhile, saute onion for 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute for 1 more minute

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, place the cabbage leaves in the water and boil for 5 minutes, & remove the hard cores-preheat oven to 350 degrees

6. Add red pepper & mushrooms to the onion pan and cook for 3 minutes

7. Turn heat to low and stir in rice and beans-cook until warmed through

8. Assemble cabbage rolls: lay cabbage leaf on counter and fill the center with the rice mixture and roll up like a burrito, place seam side down in a baking dish, continue with the remaining cabbage leaves, top with tomato sauce, cover with tin foil, & bake @350 degrees for 40 minutes

I have never made cabbage rolls, but I love cabbage and I happened to have some on hand so I thought these would be good. The filling basically consisted of leftovers I had in the fridge. The red pepper and brown rice was leftover from the sushi I made the other day. The navy beans were leftover from a sandwich spread I made the other day for lunch. So basically you can make whatever you would like for the filling, you don't have to follow my recipe religiously. I was just happy that I got to clean out my fridge and have a super healthy meal in the process. The tomato sauce was Eric's favorite! The tomato was fresh from my Mom's garden, so that helped to make it even better. I did put a lot of garlic in the sauce, but it wasn't overwhelming.