Quinoa Stuffed Cabbage Rolls….

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I found a version of this recipe in Eating Well Magazine.  They used brown rice and I thought it might be interesting to use quinoa instead.  I changed it around quite a bit.  I really liked the result.

I made a simple tomato sauce that compliments the quinoa mushroom mixture nicely.

Qunioa Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

2 cups cooked quinoa (1 part quinoa to 2 parts water and a little salt.  Bring to boil, cover and lower heat for about 15 minutes.  Cool)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 lb. white button mushrooms, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed with your fingers to release flavor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts.  Toast in a skillet over low heat, shaking pan often, they burn easily, so watch them closely.  Should take about 5 minutes.

1 head savoy cabbage-slice off about 1″ of the bottom with the core, then carefully carve out the core.

Tomato Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pinches black pepper, or more to your taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 64 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon sugar, agave or honey
1/2 cup water

1)  Cook and cool quinoa.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and onion, saute until the onion is soft.  Add mushrooms and cook until the moisture has completely evaporated.  Add garlic, sage, rosemary, salt, pepper and red wine. Simmer until the wine has reduced in half or so.  Cool.
2)  In a large pasta pot, bring water to a boil with 1 teaspoon salt.  Once the water is boiling, add the head of cored and trimmed cabbage.  allow it to cook for 5 minutes.   The leaves will soften, remove the outer leaves with a tongs.  Allow the cabbage to drain well and pat dry with paper towel.  Set aside.
3)  Prepare the sauce.  Saute the onion in the olive oil in a sauce pan, cook until soft.  Add garlic and cook one minute.  Add oregano, salt, pepper, tomato paste and sugar.  Stir often, allow the tomato paste to caramelize, 2-3 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and water.  Preheat the oven to 350′.
4)  Spread a little olive oil over your 9 x 13 baking dish.  Ladle about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom.  It’s time to assemble the cabbage rolls.
5)  Select 8-10 of the largest and prettiest cabbage leaves.  Hold a cabbage leaf in the palm of your hand and fill with about 1/4 cup of the filling.  Carefully roll the cabbage around the filling and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.   Ladle the remaining sauce over the rolls.
6)  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!

*This recipe can be made 3-4 days ahead and kept in the refrigerator.

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