Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Some people cringe at cabbage, but it is so good for you and if you cook it the right way it really is delicious.  I know there are skeptics right now having flash backs to grandma boiling the crap out of cabbage and stinking up the whole house or your mom forcing you to eat it along side your corned beef for St. Paddy's Day.  Anyway, this recipe is nothing like that at all.  I love my cabbage usually crisp and tossed as a salad but this is probably, besides certain style soups and stir fry, the only way I eat cooked cabbage.  You can always change what is stuffed inside too.  First time I ever made this was with ground chicken for a healthier option.  The cauliflower makes a great addition with no carbs.  Honestly, you don't even really taste it as cauliflower but it helps create a nice texture for the stuffing, as well as also being good for you.

I also prepared this the night before and just refrigerated it overnight.  Then next day I just had my fiance pop in the oven and it was ready to eat when I got home from work.

Cabbage is a low calorie food that is packed with nutrition. Did I mention it's also super cheap! One cup of cabbage has only about 15 calories! It might be low cal, but it's high in Vitamins A, B, C and E, along with fiber and iron. This helps with digestion, skin, eyes, metabolism, and your immune system.

Ingredients

• One large head of cabbage.  I used Savoy this time, but I have also used just regular plain green cabbage.
• about 2-3 pounds of your choice of ground meat- I used beef
• 1 small head of cauliflower, chopped small
• about one loose cup of Parmesan cheese (or two big handfuls)
• 1 (28oz) can of tomatoes (I used crushed, but use whatever you use for tomato sauce)
• 1-2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1-2 tsp of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper for the "stuffing" and the sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Combine the meat, cauliflower, cheese and fresh black pepper in a bowl, set aside.

3. Get a large pot of water hot- it doesn't have to boil, we are just using it to soften the leaves of the cabbage so they come off easily and we don't rip them.

4. When the water is hot, cut the core out of the cabbage and put the whole head of cabbage in the pot.  As the leaves soften, either carefully using your hands or gently with tongs, peel the leaves off and set aside to drain and cool before we stuff and roll.
5. In a casserole dish or large pan (I had to use two pans to hold all my rolls) pour in and combine the tomatoes, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste.  I also mix it up with a splash of water if it looks too thick.  The sauce is just to help it cook without drying it out.  I reserve a bit to put up on top before I cook.
6. When the leaves are cool enough to handle we just stuff and roll the filling like a burrito.  I usually like to cut the large vein part out of the leaf so it is easier to roll but that is optional.

7. Just roll and stuff (as you get down to the center of the cabbage obviously the leaves become smaller so you will use a smaller amount of stuffing.


8. To roll: Place the meat on the rounded uncut end of the leaf, firmly but gently roll once, tuck in sides and roll again.  Place seam side down in the pan.  Just like a wrap or burrito.




9. When all your rolls are rolled, top with a bit of reserved tomato sauce and cover with tinfoil.

10. Bake covered for about 1- 1 1/2 hours.
11. I served along side some jasmine rice mixed with bulgar wheat.  You could also have stuffed the rice inside- just precook a cup to a cup and a half of rice and swap it with the cauliflower in the stuffing.

California Chicken Burgers with Cabbage Carrot Slaw

I know I have been slacking! Just realized my last post was the beginning of the month! Tomorrow I hope to post some cookie recipes I will be trying out.  I don't do much baking, so we will see how good they come out.

Here in New York it definitely doesn't feel like winter and if the BBQ wasn't all packed away I just might have broke it out.  So instead I got the trusty George Foreman grill going and made some of these tasty tasty burgers.  Chicken burgers are not the same as beef, because 1) they have no flavor on their own and 2) you MUST cook them all the way through.  Both reasons might make chicken burgers a bit tricky but with all these big flavors and my trusty meat thermometer we are ready to go.  I also have to add that these are pretty healthy- we ground boneless skinless chicken breasts ourselves, flavored with spices and low calorie items and used turkey bacon.  The slaw is good for you too- no mayo and we used heart healthy extra virgin olive oil. (I can only hate on the bread because of the carb count- but what the heck- it's the holidays right?)

A chicken burger is not exactly an original but I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted so obviously I just made up my own with all the flavors I liked the best.  This idea came from a wrap that was on the menu at one of our favorite diners, that unfortunately closed down :(  But now will live on in this recipe :)

For 6 burgers:

• 2 ½ boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded (shred 3 all together if making the slaw too)
• 2 chipolte in adobo, chopped

1. In a food processor (or a meat grinder) grind up the chicken.  If you want to buy already ground chicken, I would say this came out to about 2 pounds worth.

2. Then mix the meat and all the other ingredients in.  Then form the patties (I got about 6, it might vary on the size of your chicken breasts)
3. Get your grill or frying pan hot and cook until done- about 160 degrees, the carry over heat will cook it to the safe 165 degree mark.  About 6-8 minutes each side if in a frying pan.  The GF grill took about 6-8 mins all together (obviously because it cooks both sides at once)

For the Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw:

• ½ of a medium sized head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded
• the other ½ of that red onion, sliced thin
• juice of one orange
• extra virgin olive oil to coat
• 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar would be good too)
• salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and let marinate in the fridge while you make your burgers.

Toppings

Really they are whatever you want- BUT when people classify something as "Californian" for some reason it always has avocado. So this is what I topped mine with:

• Turkey bacon or regular bacon
• Avocado, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Cabbage and carrot slaw
• Baby spinach

If you needed a dressing of some sort I would go with a honey mustard or blue cheese.  OR instead of mixing the chipolte in with the meat- you could mix it up with some mayo and use that as a dressing.  I skipped the cheese but a spicy monteray jack cheese would be awesome (because it originates from CA!) or maybe a tangy provolone.

Pile it high on a crusty but soft bun and this is one burger you will be making again!

Asian Style Chicken Noodle Soup

So this is a cross between chicken noodle soup, wonton soup and miso soup.  The recipe consists of simple ingredients that make a pretty tasty (and healthy) meal.  It tastes just like you would get from take-out.  Fry up some wonton strips and top off the soup for extra crunch!

Edamame is an immature soy bean (literally means "twig bean").  It is an amazing accomplishment by nature.  It is the only vegetable to house enough proteins that make it a complete protein- like the complete proteins we receive from meats and eggs- but with virtually no fat.  The soy bean (as most of you may know) becomes tofu and I think more of us are familiar with the benefits of tofu.  Edamame and all preparations of soybeans are rich in carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and micronutrients, particularly folic acid, manganese and vitamin K. (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9872/2)

For even more info on edamame (and a better explanation of what I was saying before) check out this episode of Good Eats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EZR9medTB4 & Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI71jcY1mmQ&feature=related

Napa Cabbage: It is my favorite cabbage.  It is a mild flavored Chinese cabbage that is a sign of prosperity in China. Cabbage is super healthy for you in general.  The tops of the cabbage will wilt and be tender but near the root end it will remain crunchy.  This cabbage is even great raw in cole slaw.

Ingredients

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 bag of edamame (I had unshelled, so I just shelled them myself- you can buy already shelled ones too) (about 1-2 cups of beans)
• about 1 - 1 ½ lbs of napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 small onion, sliced (or you can use scallions- about 3 or 4 of them sliced thin)
• ½ bag of egg noodles (I think that's about 5-6 oz.)
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of ginger, freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 6 cups of water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
• salt and pepper
• about 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. In a big pot add some oil and heat that over medium heat- when the oil is hot add the onions and season with salt.  Let that cook about 5 minutes.
2. Add the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper.  Cook for about 2 minutes until very fragrant.
3. Add the water, bouillon cubes and soy sauce.
4. Add the chicken (whole breast pieces- we are going to poach them)
5. Bring the water up to a boil and reduce to a very light simmer- we are gently poaching the chicken- we do not want to boil it.
6. Cook that about 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Remove the chicken when done and reserve.
8. Bring the water to a boil and add in your egg noodles.  You can really use any type of noodle you want here- even small cut pasta would do.
9. When the egg noodles are done- about 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat and add your edamame and cabbage.
10. Slice or shred your chicken and return back to the pot.
11. Taste the soup before serving- might need more salt- I also like to add a bit of freshly grated ginger at the very end to give it a fresh taste.