Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage

When I was little, my favortie part about my grandmother's stuffed cabbage was the cabbage. It sounds a little gross, but I love the texture of boiled cabbage. I would peel the cabbage off of the meat stuffing and eat it and leave the meat.

Last night I made a vegetarian version of stuffed cabbage. The original recipe came from Cooking Light and was meant for a slow cooker, which I do not have. I made it on the stove and it came out yummy. Matt wasn't as crazy about it as I was, but I guess he's not a big fan of cabbage.

• Large head cabbage, cored and steamed


• olive oil


• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped


• 3 cups cooked barley


• 1/2 cup currents (I used raisins)


• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese


• 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted


• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


• 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes from a can


• 1/2 cup apple juice


• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar


• salt and pepper

Core the cabbage head and steam for about 8 minutes. (I placed the whole thing in a pot with about an inch of water, then covered the pot and brought the water to a boil. When the water came to a boil, I turned the gas down and let it simmer for 8-10 minutes.) Let cabbage cool slightly and gently peel 16 (or as many as you can get) leaves and set aside. Try not to tear the leaves.

Saute the onion in olive oil until soft. Remove from heat and stir in cooked barley, feta, pine nuts, raisins, parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

Roll up about 1/3 cup of barley mixture in each cabbage leaf and place seam side down in a large skillet coated with cooking spray.

Combine tomatoes, apple juice, vinegar and more salt and pepper to make sauce. Pour evenly over cabbag leaves. Cover skillet and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes.

Yum! This makes plenty for leftovers if you have a small family like I do.