Delicious, Nostalgic Red Cabbage Rolls

About 4 or 5 years ago at my best friends house, her mother (who is an incredible cook as it is) served me red cabbage rolls. But instead of the mushy, tomato-sauce drowned rolls I'd had at Middle Eastern restaurants in the past - these rolls were heavenly. The cabbage was still firm, the beef exquisite. There were fresh vegetables and a slightly sweet taste. They were delicious.

Now, while this is a variation of her original recipe, it is still just as good.

Red Cabbage Rolls

You Will Need:

• 1 head red cabbage
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 (red, yellow or white) regular onions (or 1/4 cup onion powder), diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh/canned/dried mushrooms, diced
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 6oz can tomato paste
• 1 diced tomato
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp paprika 
• 4 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend (or 1 tbsp worth of basil, oregano and thyme)
• Bacon grease for greasing the pan (if you don't have any, shortening will work)

If your ground beef is frozen, make sure it is completely defrosted before starting.

Fill a large soup pot with water and some salt. Heat to boiling, and add the whole cabbage. Parboil for about 5 minutes. Do not over boil, your leaves will disintegrate. Carefully remove the cabbage head from the boiling water - do not drain. Cut off the flexible leaves at the base, one by one, pealing the thick stem off for easier rolling. Be careful to keep the leaves whole. Set them aside. 

When you reach the stiff inner leaves, return the cabbage head to the pot and boil for another 5 minutes. Remove again, do not drain, and peel off the remaining leaves. 

In a small pot, combine 1 cup of dry white rice and 1 cup of water. Add a dash of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let simmer until water is completely absorbed, approximately 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, onion, garlic, mushroom, Worcetershire, cooled rice, tomato paste, tomato, eggs, paprika, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. The best mixing is done with bare hands, but if you don't like that a wooden spoon works adequately. 

When everything is thoroughly mixed, take 1 large 13x9 inch glass baking pan. Grease with the bacon grease, thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Take your cabbage leaves, and fill them with the hamburger mixture, rolling them. Place them in your greased glass baking pan. When done, pour 1 cup of the reserved cabbage boiling water in, then cover with tinfoil.

Bake for 1 hour. Then, remove the tinfoil and bake for another 20 minutes. There will still be some fluid left in the pan.

These are best served with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy, but I like them with ketchup.

Enjoy. )

Important Note: DO NOT put more water in your glass pan. It will shatter. Once the initial water is added, while your glass pan is still cool, do not add more. Ever.

Easy Garlic Croutons

I love garlic. I also love butter. And french bread. So when all three are combined to become something else I love, croutons, it just about makes my day. These are great served over onion soup, salad, or just eaten plain. :)

You Will Need:

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups stale french bread, cubed

In a pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, saute until it starts to turn golden brown. Then, add bread cubes. Toss and saute until they start to golden, add salt, and continue to saute until lightly browned. Let cool, then serve, or store at room temperature.

Baked Trout

Coming home from camping  yesterday, I found myself with heaps of trout (about 14 fish). Now, being determined to use as much of it as possible I'm frying some, baking some others, turning the rest into tuna salad (with trout instead of tuna obviously), and using the scraps (skin, scales, tails, bones) for some Japanese soup stock.

My favorite of these so far is baking it though - it's simple, delicious and super healthy. I served it with freshly steamed green beans and some Italian bread. The kids ate it like it was candy.

You Will Need:

• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), cold or room temperature
• 4 trout, cleaned, scaled, and deboned if possible
• 1 lemon, in 8 slices
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (dried or fresh)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

In a baking dish spread around the olive oil to prevent the fish from baking. Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a small bowl combine lemon pepper, salt and minced garlic. Rub the outside and inside of each fish with the seasoning mix.

Place the fish in the baking dish, not touching. Inside each fish place two slices of lemon and one tablespoon of butter. On top of each fish place 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle the fish with the rosemary.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes to an hour. Check every 20 minutes in case they cook faster.

Serve and enjoy. :)

Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Calzones

I must confess, I'm a hotpocket addict. This addiction however contradicts the zero waste lifestyle, and I've had to fight to find a replacement. Luckily, I did. I found calzones, which taste even better than my old microwavable friends.

These are super yummy, and kids love them. 

This recipe makes 4 calzones, and is perfect served with some fresh fruit or a salad. Makes great packed lunches. :)

Ingredients:
160z pizza dough (plain or herbed, use a thin-crust variety for maximum hotpocket-likeness)
1/4 cup marinara
1/4 cup pineapple tidbits
1/3 lb ham, cubed
8oz sliced mozzarella
Garlic salt
Olive oil (or other grease)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease baking sheet with olive oil for best taste and to prevent sticking. If you don't have olive oil, use something else.
• Separate dough into fourths. spread each fourth into a rectangle on a floured surface.
• Brush dough with marinara sauce. Divide half of cheese evenly between calzones, placed on one half of each piece of dough.
• On top of cheese, put ham and pineapple, then rest of cheese. 
• Fold dough over, sealing edges. If sealing isn't working, get your fingers wet and then try again.
• Prick tops with fork and sprinkle with garlic salt on top. Bake between 15-21 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack about 10 minutes, then enjoy. 

Note: Replace the filling with anything of your choice, such as mushrooms and pepperoni, and they'll be just as good. Canadian bacon and pineapple is just what I used in this case.For a vegetarian alternative, obviously just take out the meat.

Do you like it? Is it hotpocket-y enough for you?

Bite-Size Quiche

I made these for a church potluck today and they were absolutely scrumptious! Full of fresh, wholesome ingredients and so yummy too. They're also, thankfully, very much in season at the moment in my area. Mushroom season is just coming to a close, so make them while they're still seasonal.

Enjoy! Tell me what you think...

Makes 36 mini quiche, or 1 whole quiche.

 You Will Need:
For the filling -

• 3 slices lean bacon, cooked and crumbled (for a vegetarian alternative, use red onion and add more salt to the egg mixture)
• 2 large mushroom, chopped into tiny pieces
• 2 handfuls baby spinach, finely chopped
• 1 cups heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Monterrey jack, cheddar or Swiss are the best)
• 4-8 tbsp olive oil (for greasing the pan, don't use canola or vegetable because those oils are highly toxic)

For the crust -

• 2 cup flour
• 8 tbsp butter, cold, cubed
• 2 egg
• 1 tsp salt

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, salt, butter, and egg for the crust. Mix with your hands, squishing it until everything is fully incorporated.

Take your mini muffin pan, and thoroughly grease with olive oil. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Mush your crust into each mini muffin section.

In each bit of crust, add bacon, mushroom and spinach. Pour egg mixture in over it. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and they're all puffed up. If you're making a normal quiche, bake for 35-40 minutes.

Cool for about 10 minutes then serve. :) If you're making these ahead of time, refrigerate, then warm in the oven for about 5 minutes just before serving for best taste. They taste fine cold, but phenomenal warm.

A Sublime Cafe au Lait

This coffee is pure, absolute bliss. It tastes exactly like high-quality vietnamese coffee when iced. It's strong, both in flavor and potency, but prepared so delicately that it isn't bitter, just delicious.

You will need:

• A french press
• Fresh, coarsely ground dark roast beans (about 1tbsp to each cup of coffee you are brewing)
• Cream fresh off the top of a jar of raw milk (about 1/4 cup cream per cup of coffee)
• Organic, raw sugar (3tbsp per cup of coffee)

Boil your water, and grind your coffee once it's boiling so that it's as fresh as possible. Put your coffee in your press (percolators work too), then pour the water over it. Give it a good stir, but be gentle. Then cover it so that it can steam for about 4 minutes (cook it longer, and it could get bitter).

Once it's done steeping, pour your coffee and add your cream and sugar. Stir, and serve hot for cafe au lait, or iced for some fantastic vietnamese coffee.

I garuntee you this will be some of the best coffee you have ever had. Enjoy.