Pumpkin and Spice

One of the sad things about living in a tropical clime is that my favorite season, autumn, is really more of an idea than a reality. Sure, you go shopping right now and there are cute sweaters, cozy looking flannels, corduroy pants and chunky boots... but it's still flip-flop and tank top weather. The leaves (on the palm trees) never change color, the air is never brisk and crisp, and I'm not entirely sure pumpkins can even grow in Florida. While it is finally starting to cool down (just the other day I stepped outside and thought "Oooh! It's nice and cool out!"-- it was 85. No lie.) it's still not really cozy comfort food weather. However, something inside me starts craving fall foods this time of year, regardless of the weather.

Recently, I was really craving cabbage rolls. I'm really fond of cabbage rolls- whether meat or veggie filled, I love the savory filling, the sweet and tangy tomato sauce and the soft cabbage. What I am not fond of is rolling up cabbage rolls. There are some foods I'm willing to fuss around with, but I'd rather not spend that much time making little pockets of cabbage. And, since I don't have a Polish grandma to tell me I'm not doing things right, I decided this time around to make myself a cabbage casserole.

Instead of rolling up the filling in the cabbage leaves, I layered the cabbage with the filling like a lasagna. There were a couple advantages to this- it was much faster, plus it increased the amount of cabbage per serving. Since I like cabbage, that was a big plus. (Since it's not cabbage rolls, I tried thinking of a different name for it, but "cabbage casserole" and "cabbage lasagna" both sounded... sad and unappetizing. I guess they're "lazy cabbage rolls".)

The dish is meatless- in fact, the whole recipe is vegan. We've been trying to eat a couple vegetarian meals a week here, mostly because it's less expensive and more healthful, but as a side benefit, it makes me think a little outside the box with meals. Sometimes it's easy to fall into a routine of "meat, veggie, starch". There's nothing wrong with that, but I know that, especially when I'm busy, I just default to that, rather than trying to think of more creative options.

The filling is delicious all on its own. It is comprised of a combination of  grains; arborio rice (aka risotto rice), kasha and quinoa. The arborio rice releases its starches as it cooks (just as it does for risotto), helping to thicken the filling, and lending a lovely creaminess. Kasha, or buckwheat groat, is slightly chewy and has a toasty, nutty flavor. (You'll want to use whole kasha, as opposed to a finer granulation. At my Publix, it's found in the kosher foods section.) Quinoa (keen-wah) adds loads of fiber, as well as protein. Quinoa is usually in the health food/organic section of the grocery store. I love it, because it has a really unique texture, is high in fiber, and is actually a complete protien. Most plant proteins (beans &c) have incomplete amino acid structures and require a grain or dairy to complete them and make a complete protein. (Hence the popularity of rice and bean dishes.) Quinoa is complete all by itself, making it a great way to add protein, especially to vegetarian dishes. One thing to remember, though, is to be sure to rinse the quinoa well before cooking, as it has a (naturally occuring) bitter substance on the surface, meant to discourage birds and animals from eating the grain.

The grains are cooked with flavorful veggies (onion, lots of garlic, tomatoes and red peppers), sweet raisins and herbs, then layered with cooked cabbage leaves, a sprinkling of pine nuts and an easy homemade tomato sauce. It makes a cozy, comforting dinner for a cool night (if you have those where you live.)

Oh! And I'll be posting soon about a couple little mini-vacations! A few weeks ago, Kyle and I went to St. Petersburg to see one of my favorite bands in concert (Poison. Don't judge me.) and spent a 3day weekend there doing all kinds of fun stuff! Plus, I'm having a "Girls Weekend" in Tampa with my friend Tokyo Belle soon- we're going to see U2 in concert and play in Tampa for the weekend! Fun stuff!

Lazy Cabbage Rolls
  Serves 4-5

• 1 head of green cabbage or 1 bunch of napa cabbage
• 1 large sweet onion (divided into halves)
• 5+ cloves garlic
• 1 large can (1lb 12oz) whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/4c arborio (risotto) rice
• 1/4c quinoa
• 3T kasha
• 1 red pepper
• 2t dried basil
• 1/2t dried mint
• 2c vegetable broth
• 1/3c golden raisins
• 2T honey
• 1t oragano
• 1/2c pine nuts

Bring a large pot (like a stock pot) of water to a boil. Peel the leaves off the head of cabbage, discarding the damaged outer leaves. You'll probably need about 15-20 leaves. Once water is boiling, add the cabbage leaves. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then drain and submerge leaves in ice water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Chop half the onion, 2 cloves garlic and the red pepper fairly fine. Sautee in olive oil until the onion is soft. Chop about 3 of the canned tomatoes and add to the pan, along with the grains, raisins, mint and 1t of basil. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce-

Roughly chop the other half of the onion and place in a food processor or blender along with 3 cloves of garlic, the oregano, 1t basil, the honey and the remaining tomatoes and their juice. Puree until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes. (Taste for seasoning and salt/pepper to taste.)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 glass dish with cooking spray and lay down a layer of cabbage leaves (as you would do for lasagna). Spread half the filling mixture over the leaves, sprinkle with pine nuts and top with about 1/3 of the sauce. Do another layer of cabbage, then filling, pine nuts and sauce. Finish with a final layer of cabbage and the remaining sauce. Bake for 45min.

(The leftovers are great, too! Hot or cold- both are yummy!)