Healthy Cabbage Roll Alternatives

I love cabbage rolls. They are so tasty and easy to digest. Serve with roasted butternut squash tossed with olive oil, cinnamon and garlic.

Healthy style rolls

Ingredients

4 1/4 cups filtered water, divided
8 large green cabbage leaves
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chopped organic tomatoes
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish

Preparation

1.Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large skillet. Add cabbage leaves, cover, reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes.
2.Bring 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.
3.Transfer the cabbage leaves to a clean work surface to cool. Discard the water and dry the pan.
4.Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, vinegar, cinnamon, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are mostly broken down, 8 to 10 minutes.
5.Meanwhile stir olives and 2 tablespoons mint into the couscous. Mound about 1/2 cup of the couscous mixture at the stem end of each cabbage leaf. Roll into a bundle, tucking in the sides.
6.When the tomato sauce is ready, add the cabbage rolls seam-side down. Cover and cook until the rolls are hot all the way through and the cabbage is very tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve the cabbage rolls topped with the sauce. Garnish with mint, if desired.


Sweet & Sour Cabbage Rolls

Lean ground turkey and brown rice seasoned with fresh dill makes a moist filling for these stuffed cabbage rolls. They're baked in a combination of tomato sauce, lemon juice and honey for the familiar sweet-and-sour flavor typical of the dish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup organic brown rice
1 cup filtered water
1 large cabbage
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 pound organic lean ground turkey
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups homemade or organic tomato sauce
1 cup reduced-sodium organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey

Preparation

1.Bring rice and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the water is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2.Meanwhile, bring a cooking pot full of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the 12 largest outer cabbage leaves for 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cool water until room temperature. Chop the remainder of the cabbage in small pieces.
3.Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and the chopped cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add 4 tablespoons lemon juice; cook, stirring, until the liquid has almost evaporated. Let cool for 10 minutes.
4.Mix turkey, dill,sea salt, pepper, the onion mixture and cooled rice in a large bowl.
5.Preheat oven to 375°F.
6.Pour some tomato sauce at the bottom of the lasagna dish. Lay one cabbage leaf on your work surface; cut out the thick stem. Place about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture in the leaf’s center. Fold the sides over the filling, then roll closed.
7.Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling. Whisk tomato sauce, broth, honey and the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over the rolls. Cover the pan tightly with foil.
8.Bake the cabbage rolls for 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking, basting the rolls with sauce several times, for 20 minutes more.

These are two great varieties of this popular recipe. Put your own tasty twist on it and you will be thanked by many...

Enjoy!!!

Sylvie Thibert