Thursday, January 20, 2011

Recipe: Caribbean Cabbage Rolls

I've tried making cabbage rolls from traditional recipes a few times, but - I must say - I haven't been impressed with most of the rice and tomato sauce-based recipes I've found. Just not my personal taste. Still, for a cheap dinner, you can't beat inexpensive rice and veggies wrapped in cabbage.

I tossed aside my recipe books, bought a head of cabbage, and decided to create a recipe I could live with, that would please Mr. Wright and the kids, and still be cheap enough to feed our army.

Oh, WOW. These were so good!

The most expensive addition was a mango, since it's out of season, but it added a delicious flavor to the filling.

Here's my new recipe:

Sexy Vegan Mama's Caribbean Cabbage Rolls

Start with:

1 good-sized head of cabbage


Filling:

1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 mango, diced
1 - 15.25 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 - 15.5 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 c. cooked rice (you can use leftover rice!)
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. black pepper


Sauce:

4 or so carrots
1 banana
Juice of two limes
Enough water, pineapple juice or coconut milk to make sauce smooth and pourable


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prep vegetables and put into a large bowl with rice. Add spices and mix well.


In a stock pot, boil enough water to cover the head of cabbage. While the water is heating, score the cabbage head around the core so the leaves will fall off easier.

When water is boiling, drop cabbage in and boil until leaves become slightly translucent and fall away from the core. As the leaves drop off, pluck them from the water with a pair of tongs and place them in a colander to drain. As soon as they're drained, you can start filling them while the inner leaves boil off.

Place a cabbage leaf flat(ish) on your work area (curved side up) and put a scoop of filling (about a quarter-cup, depending on the size of the leaf) in the center.


Fold the sides of the leaf in, then fold one end over the filling.



Gently roll the filled portion of the leaf upward, toward the unfolded edge, creating a cabbage "burrito."


Place rolls tightly next to one another in a casserole baking dish.

In a blender, puree carrots. You'll want about two cups of carrot puree, so use more or less carrots, as needed. Add banana and puree again. Add lime juice and blend.

Now, I left my "sauce" there, but in retrospect, I would have liked it to be smoother and more "pourable," so next time I'll add some coconut milk or pineapple juice to make it smooth. I ended up spreading the topping, rather than pouring it, and the end result tasted great but didn't look as pretty as I would have liked.


So, add some pineapple juice or coconut milk and blend until smooth and ready to pour. Pour over rolls and bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.


This will make a lot of cabbage rolls. The number depends on the size of your cabbage. For me, I think it made like 16 or so. You may have some cabbage left over after you use all the filling. Chop it up and use it in soup! Mr. Wright made a delightful rice and veggie soup with our leftover cabbage.


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8 comments:

  1. Wow! These cabbage rolls look awesome. This is also going to be BM'ed as I think this is healthy, attractive looking, and ummm....tasty looking too. I always wondered how these Russian ladies at my church made cabbage rolls! Thanks lady (wink)

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  2. Bella, this filling is awesome in whole wheat tortillas, too! xo

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  3. These are gorgeous and the filling is hearty and healthy! Love this recipe!

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  4. I like cabage rolls, and have never tried to fill them with such filling :) interesting recipe

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  5. Oh my! This makes me miss home (where there were TONS of Jamaican restaurants!). This looks delish!

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  6. These look awesome! I love that the filling is colorful as well as flavorful! Delicious!

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  7. mango, coconut, pineapple...sounds truly tropical (caribbean)! the carrot sauce is the most different ingredient for a cabbage roll i have seen so far. along with banana, these rolls must have been on the sweeter side?

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  8. Wow! These cabbage rolls look awesome. This is also going to be BM'ed as I think this is healthy, attractive looking, and ummm....tasty looking too. I always wondered how these Russian ladies at my church made cabbage rolls! Thanks lady (wink)Russian Love

    ReplyDelete