Lahana (cabbage) Dolma

My fiance and I decided to give up meat for lent. I had a craving for these puppies so I decided to whip them up vegan style! I hope you guys try to make this dish because it's really delicious when cold and it is a great summertime meal!


Ingredients
Filling

(1 lb ground meat or beef, turkey or ground chicken - of course I left this part out)
2 big onion, chopped finely
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped dill (optional)
1/2 cup chopped basil ( optional )
1 tablespoon dry mint
1/2 cup rice, washed and drained
2 tomato, diced/1 cup crushed
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp pepper paste (optional)
1 tbsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp 7 spice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon’s juice






Outer Layer
1 head cabbage

For the liquid in the pot
7 cloves of garlic ( you can adjust this amount to your liking of garlic. WE LOVE GARLIC!)
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp pepper paste (optional) 
2 lemons juice
3 cups of water (depending on how deep your pot is. Just have the liquid cover just about the top)

Preparation Method

Mix all the filling ingredients  in a bowl with a tablespoon.

Take out the outer leaves of cabbage. In a large pot place the cabbage and cover it with lightly salted water. Bring it to boil and turn the heat down to medium high. Boil it till the outer leaves start to loosen and get softer (2-3 minutes). Remove the soft leaves from the core and place them on a big plate or tray. Return the cabbage to the pot and repeat the first step until all leaves get soft and removed. Let the leaves cool for 8-10 minutes.Remove the center stalks from the leaves with a knife so you will have 2 slices of the leaf. 

Fill the cabbage leaves with the filling and roll.

Line up all the rolls in a pot. Pour your liquid mixture carefully into the pot. Take a small plate place it over the leaves on the pot and a bowl of hot water on the plate. This prevents the leaves from unraveling. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. After the rolls are cooked squeeze lemon juice all over (your preference).

We love this dish when it's cold and the next day. It is full of way more flavor!

Comment me if you would like the garlic and yogurt topping.