Toltott Kaposzta - Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage

There is nothing like the smell of yummy cabbage rolls simmering on the stove! This is my vegan adaptation of the Hungarian classic, with a filling of seitan, TVP and rices. Bears a decent resemblance to the original, really hit the spot! Thicken the sauce with soy sour cream if desired, but not necessary... 

Makes 13 cabbage rolls, with 1/3 cup filling each.

1 large head green cabbage

Put on a pot of water to boil - use a pot large enough to hold the head of cabbage. Place the cabbage on a cutting board, and with a small sharp knife cut out the core. Put the cabbage in the boiling water, and turn occasionaly as needed. As the outer layers of the cabbage cook through, gently peel them off and remove from the water - be careful not to burn your fingers, use tongs or a large spoon! Put aside the cabbage leaves to cool, while finishing remaining layers go ahead and make the filling.

Filling
 

1/4 cup raw long grain brown rice + 3/4 cup water to boil

1/2 cup raw short grain calrose rice + 1 cup water & 1 cup tomato juice to boil

1 cup water

2 faux beef bouillon cube

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp liquid hickory smoke
1 cup TVP granules

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

3/4 cup minced or grated onions

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp garlic or onion powder

2 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika

2 tsp hot Hungarian paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

Cook the 2 rices seperately, and make sure the grains are very plump - almost overcooked. Keep in mind, unlike traditional meat cabbage rolls, the rice will not cook any further once mixed into the seitan. The calrose rice might need a little extra water here and there, and will look like a large glutinous mess once completely cooked (this is a good thing, helps bind together the other ingredients). Just make sure the bottom doesn't scorch, simmer gently and keep an eye on it.

 

While the rice is cooking, bring the water, bouillon, soy sauce and liquid smoke to a boil. Add in the TVP, stir, remove from heat and allow the mixture to sit long enough to absorb the water. Fry the onion in oil until well cooked, add in the rices, TVP and remaining seasonings. Stir well to combine, and put aside. Once the mixture is cooled completely, stir in the gluten. The mixture will appear dry - resist the temptation to add liquid! Just keep stirring until it starts to bind together.

You're ready to start stuffing your cabbage! Take a scoop of filling, I use about 1/3 cup, and knead the filling in your hands until the gluten is well worked in and firms up a little. Flatten the ball into a flat oval, and place on your cabbage leaf. Bring the bottom up over the filling, fold over the left side and then the right. Now pull the top over, and use toothpicks to keep in place (see pics). Finish stuffing the remaining cabbage leaves until the remaining of the filling is used up. If you have any remaining cabbage, slice it up into thin pieces.

1 large tin tomato juice
1 each faux beef and faux chicken bouillon cube
1 1/2 cup sauerkraut

Take a large pot, and layer some of the leftover cabbage and sauerkraut on the bottom. Add several of the cabbage rolls. Continue layering until the cabbage slices, sauerkraut and cabbage rolls are all used up. Disolve the bouillon cubes in a little water, and pour into pot along with tomato juice. Add enough water to cover cabbage rolls. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes. Turn heat off. Serve as is, or remove cabbage rolls to a seperate dish if using the sour cream to thicken the sauce.

3/4 cup sour cream, optional

If using sour cream, it must be 'tempered' before adding to the pot of hot tomato sauce so that it doesn't seperate. Gently stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce into the sour cream. Once blended, add a few more tablespoons, and a few more until the sour cream is soupy and warmed up. Pout into pot, stirring quickly. Warm gently, do not boil.

When ready to serve, ladle a large spoonful of sauce on to a plate and top with a couple of the cabbage rolls. Yum!!!

Per roll: 219 cals, 6g fat, 25g carbs, 587mg sodium, 6g fiber, 17g protein.  (PRO65.8/30%,CHO101/46%,FAT52.4/24%)

Black Bean Soba Noodles with Mushrooms & Cabbage

Exhausted after my first day back in the pool since the bout of tonsilitis, I came home looking for a simple meal. I've been eyeing a recipe from BBC's Good Food 'Vegetarian Christmas 2010' edition, here's my adaptation - black bean sauce is a little salty, but paired with the cabbage and mushrooms was quite a yummy meal...  

Makes 4 generous servings.

 

450g package of firm or extra-firm tofu

1-2 cloves garlic, pressed 

       (omit if the garlic in the sauce is enough for your taste)

2" piece of ginger, minced

3 cups quartered cremini mushrooms

5 cups shredded Savoy cabbage

300g soba noodles (enough for 4 people)

6 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
5 green spring onions, sliced and divided

Cut tofu in 1/2" cubes, and toss with 2 Tbsp of the black bean sauce. Allow to marinate while preparing veggies, longer if you have time. Over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the tofu on all sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil, and sautee the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms and cabbage. Toss the veggie mixture every minute or so, adding a sprinkle of water if the bottom of the frying pan begins to scorch. Nibble on the cabbage every so often, until you're happy with the tenderness - I happen to like it rather crunchy.

Heat a pot of water, and boil noodles according to package directions. In the meantime, add the remainder of the black bean sauce to the frying pan and the majority of the spring onions, keeping just enough aside as a garnish for each serving. Add tofu back into pan, and sautee for another minute, tossing as needed to prevent veggies from sticking to the bottom. Drain the cooked noodles, add to frying pan, tossing to blend everything together. Divide into 4 bowls, garnish with remaining spring onions, and serve!

Per serving: 497 cals, 14g fat, 73g carbs, 1744mg sodium, 6g fiber, 28g protein.  (PRO98.4/20%,CHO270/54%,FAT129/26%)