Asian Cabbage Rolls (Paleo)

April 11, 2017

My mom (Margie) recently prepared this recipe right around St. Patrick’s day, and they were absolutely fantastic!

I’m a huge fan of getting creative with vegetables, and cabbage is one of my favorite ways to put a bunch of veggies in a tasty vessel.

The first batch she made was veggies only, and I’m pretty sure I gobbled up most of them. Wait ’till we make them with meat!

Ingredients

8-10 green cabbage leaves

1 big shredded carrot

1 zucchini, chopped

1 or 2 bunches of green onions, chopped

1 or 2 tablespoons minced ginger    

2-4 minced garlic cloves

olive oil (EVOO)

Cook the cabbage leaves in boiling water for 3-4 minutes to soften, then put in ice water to stop the cooking.  Dry thoroughly.

Saute the garlic and ginger about 1 minute or so in some EVOO.  Add the shredded carrot and zucchini, and saute for another minute or 2.

Assemble the cabbage rolls by spooning some of the sauteed mixture in the middle of a cabbage leaf and top it with some green onion.  Then, roll up the leaf, folding in the sides as you go.  Lay the rolls in a well oiled pan. 

Drizzle more EVOO over the rolls, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Use tamari sauce for dipping (not Paleo) or try coconut aminos, which are Paleo.  If you don’t like Tamari, use a little sea salt in the filling.

You can also add a few scrambled eggs to the filling.

For an alternate, try crumbled cooked hamburger, lamb, or sausage in the filling. Add different chopped vegetables. Change the spices to include things like Italian Seasoning, basil, oregano or whatever you have handy! Experiment! Mint, tarragon, dill and lamb might be very tasty; serve with some tzatziki sauce!