Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

Recipe conversion is an art that is interesting and can be fun. For those who live a vegetarian lifestyle, it becomes a way of life. Recently I found a great recipe for cabbage rolls on the Internet. I thought it sounded delicious and it reminded me of the cabbage rolls my grandmother and mother used to make. I decided to make them, adapting the recipe to fit the dietary needs of members of the immediate family. The cabbage rolls were not as time consuming as I expected, and they were essentially a one-dish-meal (protein, starch, and vegetable). You could add a tossed green salad if you liked. Here's the recipe as converted:

Veg Sausage and Red Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

• 1 head cabbage
• 1 cup red quinoa, cooked
• 1 egg, beaten OR egg substitute (ground flax seed or flax seed gel)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 package Soyrizo, vegetarian sausage
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (or fresh, minced garlic)
• 2 - 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
• 1 tsp. stevia
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

Stem head of cabbage and place base down in a kettle. Add 2" of water and lid. Steam until tender; about ten minutes. When leaves are tender, remove from heat and drain. Cool. Then remove leaves and dry individually with paper towel.

Combine red quinoa, egg OR egg substitute, almond milk, onion, garlic powder, Soyrizo, and salt. Scoop about 1/4 cup of this mixture into the center of each cabbage leaf. Fold them into small packages, making sure all ends are tucked in. Place each in a low casserole pan with the tucked in side down.

In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, stevia, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Delicious!

This is a gluten-free recipe. The Angostura Worcestershire Sauce from Safeway is vegetarian (no anchovies).