Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Broccoli Rice

Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Broccoli Rice

A new twist to something old. This is the theme with my vegan cabbage rolls stuffed with broccoli rice. Broccoli rice might in fact sound like a bit of an oxy-moron, but broccoli or cauliflower rice is a pretty old idea that’s been around for a while. The good news for us plant-based eaters, is that we now have another option other than grain rice, to fill our cabbage rolls.

Go beyond the meat and rice filler. Think out of your box and up the nutritional game. As the urban legend goes, Harrison Ford (the actor) has a son who is a culinary Chef. It seems on or around the 1998 time line, his son developed this dish with the original name of “cauliflower couscous”. It was an accidental creation while trying to find a good unique lamb pairing. Well, nearly 20 years later, I’m just now learning about ‘cauliflower couscous’, but I”m not letting the grass grow under my feet any longer.

The perfect filling for the perfect vegan cabbage roll is one that is full of flavor. When making a batch of your cauliflower rice or broccoli rice, add whatever you might think might up the flavor game. Cumin, oregano, scallions, and a bit of ‘middle Eastern’ spices will really please. In addition, I love putting in a small amount of cooked lentils. You really can’t go wrong here with this new age dish. Be sure you have a nice batch of home-made hummus on hand, because it’s also a great accompaniment to this dish.

Pack the veg whenever you can!

Let’s talk about eating a plant-based diet and getting your daily 5 (as a minimum). It’s my personal goal since going plant-based, that those whom I cook for and myself get as MUCH vegetable intake a day in every meal. Coupled with grains and fruits, the daily objective is to shove as much of the vegetable rainbow into your body as it will take-and it has to taste good. Difficult? No, not really. It’s just my reality, and I love it.

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4 from 2 votes

Vegan Cabbage Rolls with Broccoli Rice

Delicious vegan cabbage rolls filled with a unique twist…broccoli rice! It's a great start to something good

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword vegan, Vegetables, vegetarian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 1

Ingredients

• 1 head broccoli
• 1 head cabbage
• 1 stem ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1-2 small boiled potatoes optional, and makes a great binder
• 1 cup rice cooked, and optional
• 1 can tomatoes

Instructions

• if you want to add potatoes to this dish, boil a few in your pressure cooker, or use left-over cooked potatoes
  
• get the broccoli cut and put into the food processor. add what you want for flavor. In this recipe, I added garlic, onions and ginger
  
• pulse until it's a rice consistency
  
• add the filling ingredients together.
  
• in a separate pot, bring water to a boil and add your cabbage leafs one at a time. It takes a few seconds until it's soft, but still strong. take out and let's begin.
  
• add a spoon of filling
  
• fold up
  
• assemble in a deep baking ceramic dish. Pack them tight. When done, add a can of tomatoes over the top with a bit of liquid if you wish (a bit of water perhaps), and bake in an oven @ 200 C, for about 20 min.
  
• Serve and enjoy!
  
• To enhance your nutritional intake, serve with a bit of long-grain or wild rice, quinoa, cous-cous and top with a nice dollup of hummus