cabbage rolls with sunflower seed ricotta
Servings 4 to 5 (10 cabbage rolls)
Ingredients
cabbage rolls and filling
- 1 (14oz / 400g) brick extra firm tofu
- 13 to 15 large green cabbage leaves
- 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil (or use only water for oil-free)
- 1 C finely chopped white or yellow onion
- ½ C sundried tomatoes (not the kind packed in oil), soaked in water for 15 minutes
- 8oz / 225g white or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 ½ C store-bought marinara
sunflower seed ricotta
- ¾ C raw sunflower seeds (soaked for 20 minutes in hot water)
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 to 1 ½ tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ C water
Instructions
- To make the cabbage rolls, first press the tofu in either a tofu press or by wrapping it in a clean towel and placing it on a level surface. Lay a cutting board on the tofu and something heavy on top, such as a cookbook or some cans of beans. Press for 20 minutes. Then unwrap the tofu and it's ready to use. I actually placed the brick in a nut milk bag and squeezed out the excess liquid while crumbling it in the bag. You can then crumble the tofu with your hands into a large mixing bowl.
- To prepare the cabbage leaves it's best to break the leaves from the stem or the bottom of the cabbage instead of peeling from the top. To blanch and shock the cabbage leaves, bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Submerge two cabbage leaves at a time in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until they're flexible. Tougher leaves will need to be boiled a little longer. Remove the leaves from the pot using tongs, submerge in the ice water and let them hang out for a minute.
- Then remove the leaves from the water and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. I even dried the leaves further by running them through a salad spinner after blanching and shocking them. Remove the hard stem and veining that runs up the cabbage leaf by cutting a narrow V in the base of the leaf. If any leaves tear in the process of blanching or rolling, simply patch up the torn area with an extra leaf you've prepared.
- To make the filling heat a large sauce pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat and saute the onions with a few tablespoons of water or with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile drain the sundried tomatoes from the soaking water and chop them.
- Add mushrooms and sundried tomatoes to the pan and continue to cook, sirring occasoinally for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms shrink and release their juices. Darin any excess liquid from the pan and transfer this mixture to the bowl of crumbled tofu and mix together.
- To make the ricotta, drain the sunflower seeds from the water, then rinse and drain well. Add them to a high-powered blender along with lemon juice, garlic, oregano, chili powder, chili flakes (if using), sea salt, and water. Blend on high speed until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Scoop the ricotta mixture into the bowl of veggies and tofu and stir to combine well.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- To assemble, spread 1 cup of marinara over the bottom of an 11 x 8-inch glass baking dish. Place a rounded ⅓ cup of the filling across the center of each cabbage roll. Starting at the V shape's end, pull the V together, roll the cabbage leaf over the filling once, fold in the sides, and roll forward away from you into a nice bundle, like a burrito. Place the roll seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat for each cabbage leaf and place the rolls side by side in rows in the dish. Spoon remaining marinara on top of the cabbage rolls.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake another 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the dish from the oven and let the rolls rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
