cabbage Archives - The Dreaming Foodie

I’ve got another little cabbage wrap recipe to share with you!

These shrimp + veggie cabbage wraps were so delicious, but they do involve a bit of work to prepare. These ones, just as good, require less work. They come together easily but still have amazing flavor.

Let me tell yow how easy these are.

Make some quinoa. Quinoa is so simple. It’s like rice, but takes less time. Rinse quinoa, boil quinoa, cover and let cook for 20 minutes. That’s it for the quinoa.

While that’s happening, if you have a grill, grill the corn. If you don’t, like me, broil or roast the corn in the oven. If you broil it, it doesn’t take long at all.

Chop the squash. I cut each of mine in half, long-ways, and then chopped it from there. Also, slice the onions and peel the garlic. Into a pan: olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook and then add the squash. Cook some more, add the corn and then taste-test one of the best veggie dishes ever.

Blanch the cabbage. It’s simple, really. Don’t be afraid to do this.

Pile ingredients onto cabbage, roll, then dig in. Eat, then repeat. It’s that simple!

This simple summery meal is delicious, healthy and takes no time at all. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups water (or stock of your choice)
1 cup quinoa
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove
4 large spring onions
2-3 cups chopped squash
2 ears of corn
Cabbage leaves, one per wrap
Soy sauce, optional

Start with the quinoa. Rinse one cup of quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer. Add the rinsed quinoa and water (or stock) to a medium pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and turn heat to low. Let quinoa simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy.

While quinoa is cooking, brush two ears of corn with olive oil. Place under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Alternatively, grill the corn. Once the corn is down, let cool then remove the kernels from the cob.

Also while quinoa is cooking, add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until onions start to get soft. Add the squash and cook for about 10 minutes, or until squash is soft or at the tenderness you prefer. Once done, add corn and remove from heat.

To blanch the cabbage: Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the cabbage leaves into the boiling water and blanch for about 1 minute. Remove the leaves and place into the ice water. I did two leaves at a time, but you may do more depending on the size of your pot. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels.

To assemble the wraps, place a blanched cabbage leaf on a plate. Top with quinoa, a drizzle of soy sauce, if preferred, and the veggies. Fold over the bottom edge of the leaf and then fold in one of the sides. Begin rolling and tucking in the other side as you roll. It may be messy while eating.

Enjoy!

I am so excited!

Because these wraps are seriously the best ever!

This idea started at market on Sunday. I asked a fellow market worker what she was going to do with the cabbage that we were both taking home. I had originally planned on making a batch of slaw to have throughout the week. She said that she wasn’t sure what she’d do with hers, but she usually uses cabbage leaves as wraps.

I thought about that for a little and as I was looking over what I got at market, this idea began to develop.

Then I made carrot and cucumber salad. And then I thought that would go perfect in my little wraps. And then, I read about this new-to-me way to prepare shrimp. And then I saw a bag of rice sitting in the pantry.

The idea was complete, now I just needed to execute it.

Let’s talk about this.

The carrot and cucumber salad is, like I said yesterday, wonderful on its own, but in these wraps, it is just perfect. You could put any veggies in these wraps, but I do really suggest the carrot + cucumber peanut salad.

The shrimp. I always prepare shrimp the same way. I usually cook them in a little olive oil on the stove on high heat. I read this new method in Martha Stewart Living magazine and it intrigued me. I wanted to branch out my shrimp cooking methods and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity. The simple steaming method is just perfect for these wraps. It is unbelievable how much amazing flavor shrimp have when they are cooked with nothing else. You have got to try this method (described below in the recipe).

I blanched the cabbage leaves for this recipe. Blanching the cabbage is super easy and turns out perfect to act as wraps. The leaves get soft but still retain a bit of stiffness and roll perfectly around the rice, shrimp and veggies. And, I noticed that once rolled, the leaves kind of stick together, keeping everything rolled very tight. It’s perfect!

These wraps have a sweetness from the shrimp, an earthiness from the rice, a crunch and freshness from the veggies and cabbage. They are a wonderful summer meal, but we liked these so much that I can see us eating them all year long. Greg said last night, after eating five of these, that he thinks he may want these at least once a week now. I can deal with that! 🙂

If you are looking for something light and healthy, that will make you feel great after eating, something summery and refreshing and something so delicious that you will be dreaming about it, this is it. I hope that you enjoy these cabbage wraps as much as I did.

Ingredients
Cabbage, 1 leaf per wrap
Rice, I cooked one cup of rice
Shrimp, in shells, plan for about 2 per wrap
This carrot + cucumber peanut salad

Cook the rice. Have the carrot + cucumber peanut salad ready. Click the link above for the recipe.

To cook the shrimp: Bring about 1 inch of water to boil in a large saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add the shrimp (in shell) to the pan. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the saucepan and let sit for three minutes. After three minutes, the shrimp will be cooked through. Drain and let the shrimp cool.

Once cool, peel and devein the shrimp. To devein shrimp, I simply cut a line down the back of the shrimp and use a toothpick to remove the waste. Rinse the shrimp once it is deveined and cut each shrimp in half.

To assemble the wraps, place a blanched cabbage leaf flat on a plate. Place a couple of spoonfuls of rice in the center. Place a couple of pieces of shrimp on top of the rice. Finish it with a spoonful of the carrot cucumber salad. Fold over the bottom edge of the leaf and then fold in one of the sides. Begin rolling and tucking in the other side as you roll. It should stay together well while you are eating.

Notes:
-If you don’t want to cook/peel/devein your own shrimp, do it your own way and skip the section on shrimp above. Any shrimp would be great in this.
-Our wraps stayed together well, so if you roll in right, yours should too. One was overstuffed and did fall apart a bit, but they generally should stay together very well.