Cabbage Rolls (made with Quinoa)

Cabbage Rolls 

(made with Quinoa!) 

As St. Patrick's Day rolled around again, I wanted to make a dish that dates back to Eastern European and we traditionally associate as an Irish dish, (with a twist!)  I originally was thinking brown rice (which would work really well,) but then decided to go with the gratifying grain of Quinoa.  It can also traditionally be made with lamb, beef, or pork, but in an effort to make healthy and flavorful, I went with lean beef. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and salad. 

Ingredients for filling:

1 lb. extra lean ground beef, browned

1 medium head of cabbage 

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1/4 cup minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce:

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

(organic cabbage head from: Backyard Produce)

Place cabbage leaves in pot of water boiling water. Blanche cabbage for about 2 minutes, until pliable. Carefully removing one leaf at a time and place leaves in cool, ice water to stop cooking process. 





Cook beef and onion mixture. 
Drain fat.

Combine Quinoa, onion, ground beef, salt, and pepper. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf, and roll up. (fold over each side, and roll up the rest of the cabbage.)

Quinoa mixture in cabbage leaf, before folding

Perfectly rolled cabbage :-)

To make sauce, mix all ingredients and blend. (Blending is not necessary if using crushed tomatoes, but i only had diced in the house.)

Put a small amount of sauce at the bottom of the crock pot. Place rolls in slow cooker and cover with the rest of the tomato sauce. 

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Water may need to be added to sauce if cooking time is added. 
(Also, feel free to add some hot sauce or sriracha to this sauce for a little kick!) 

(Note: You can place in the oven for about 1 hour.)

Approx. calories: 175 for two rolls