Vegan & GF Stuffed Cabbage and Bell Peppers

*prep day before: soak/sprout pecans in clean water for 12-24 hours prior

Ingredients per item:

—The “Meat”—

1 c sprouted pecans *(see above)

3-4 carrots-peeled and cut in sections

2 bell peppers (red and green)-chopped

1 onion-chopped

3T vegan butter (myokonos is my favorite)

2 cubes vegan boullion

2T olive oil

2T yellow mustard

salt and pepper to taste

I usually use a rice cooker, could do stove top. Rice will be added to the “Meat” stuffing. You can make rice ahead of time, or put on while preparing the “Meat”.

2 1/2 -3 c steamed rice (may be basmati or brown rice)

—The Sauce—

2 jars tomato paste

4 c clean water

7 cloves garlic-finely chopped

3T olive oil

3 Bay Leaves

salt and pepper to taste

—to Stuff—

1 head of green cabbage (core out the heart)

4 bell peppers (red or green)-cut tops off for lids and clean out the inside of the bell peppers(remove seeds and pith)

Directions:

Prepare the “Meat” first. Drain the pecans and add to the food processor with the carrots, until finely chopped. In a soup pan, add the olive oil and chopped onions and bell peppers until browned. Add the remaining Meat ingredients, and the pecan and carrots. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low heat for about 27 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Before beginning to make the Sauce, put on a big pot of water to boil.

The Sauce:

In a skillet, saute the garlic in olive oil until caramelized. Add bay leaves, tomato paste, and water. Salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low heat for 21 minutes.

—To Stuff—

Place the head of cabbage and the bottoms of the bell peppers in the big pot of boiling water. Let boil for 7 minutes. Using tongs, the leaves of the cabbage should come off easily. Place individual cabbage leaves and bell pepper bottoms to the side to cool down for easy handling. With the middle section of the cabbage left over, finely chop and stir in to the meat mixture.Mix the rice well into the Meat.

Have a big casserole dish ready and pour some of the Tomato Sauce on the bottom. Now it’s time to roll the cabbage leaves and stuff the bell peppers with the Meat mixture. Add about 4 T or so of Meat on a cabbage leaf and tuck in the sides like a burrito and roll and set in dish. Repeat. Stuff the bell peppers and place in casserole dish and put the lid (top of the bell pepper) on top of each stuffed bell pepper. Once you’ve filled the casserole dish, add the remaining sauce over all of it. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Everything is already cooked, so it doesn’t take as long as usual to bake. We are just blending all the flavors together and infusing the sauce with the cabbage rolls and stuffed bell pepper.

This is a great dish served with a salad.