Sunday Simmers: Greek Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

²³ He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

Exodus 16:23

I'm getting better at this whole 'rest' thing and part of that is learning that I need one day where I don't do anything. Nadda, not even cooking. My body needs a complete reset day. So the crock pot and I are now becoming fast friends. I'm also learning to improvise with what I have on hand so that last minute trips to the grocery store don't cramp my style (have I ever mentioned how grumpy Wal-Mart makes me?) 


My routine is to get everything prepped Saturday night and in the pot. I'll either then place the crock pot in the fridge and turn it on the next morning, or let it cook overnight. I chose the latter option this time because since my husband and I tend to go to service Saturday nights, Sundays are sleep in days for us and it's nice to have lunch ready when we get up (which tells you how late we'll sleep sometimes, but hey, no kids yet.)


And while cabbage rolls have never sounded like something I'd eat willingly, I love Greek dolmas (and I had cabbage for some reason in my fridge) so these were born. Verdict-- amazing!


What you'll need:

• 6 large cabbage leaves
• 8-9oz ground beef (grass-fed 85/15)
• 2 cups long grain brown rice (I used 3, to get rid of the extra rice we had)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 cups homemade chicken stock (or organic and full fat)
• All purpose Greek seasoning (like Cavender's)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 whole lemons
• 6-7 quart crockpot

What you'll do:

• Stuff the cabbage leaves with about 1 1/2- 2 ounces of raw meat, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dry long grain brown rice, and about 1 1/2 tsp Greek seasoning. Remember that though this doesn't look like much, the rice will puff up. Do this for all six of the cabbage leaves, making sure to roll them and tuck in at the sides. 
• Place them in the crockpot and sprinkle the remaining rice in between.
• On top of these rolls pour in your homemade (or organic) chicken stock.
• Zest one lemon over these rolls. Take another lemon and cut into four parts, placing it on top of the rolls. 
• Sprinkle one tablespoon (or more if your wish) of the Greek seasoning, the chopped yellow onions, and salt and pepper to taste over the top to finish it off. 
• Cook on low for 7 hours.

These come out tasting a lot like large dolmas. The cabbage becomes soft, almost like pasta noodles, and the gaminess of the grass fed ground beef mirrors that of ground lamb (and it's cheaper.) All in all this is a keeper because my husband says so ;-) (and who knew I could get him to eat cabbage?)




**If you are interested in how I make homemade chicken stock, it's easy. I used my crock pot again to roast a chicken in preparation last week for some homemade chicken salad. I left the drippings in the crock pot and once I pulled all the meet off the bones to make my salad, I took the bones and dropped them back in there with a few more cups of water. I let that steep, strained it, and then  froze it. I pulled it out last night to thaw and used it. I did not skim any fat off of it as it added flavor to the cabbage leaves. I'm learning that part of being a good steward is making sure I don't waste things. Normally a chicken carcass would just get chucked in the garbage, but it made the best stock ever (totally trumps store bought, I promise) and the crock pot made it easy---just set and forget!

Serves  people

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Fiber
Generic - Cabbage Leaves, 6 leaf (med - 23g)	36	8	0	2	3
My Cow - Grass-Fed 85% Lean Ground Beef , 9 oz	540	0	38	47	0
Vegetable - Yellow Onion, 1 cup (160 grams)	64	15	1	2	3
Homemade - Chicken Stock Full Flavor With Butter, 3 cup	300	0	0	0	0
Cavender's - All Purpose Greek Seasoning, 3/4 tsp ( 1g)	0	0	0	0	0
Riceland - Extra Long Grain Natural Brown Rice Uncooked, 2 cup dry (42g)	1,200	256	8	24	8
Add Ingredient

Total:	2140	279	47	75	14
Per Serving:	357	47	8	13	2