Galumpki (Stuffed Cabbage)

Galumpkis were one of my dad's favorites. My mom used to make them when I was a kid, and I would refuse to eat them. They always sounded so weird, and anything with cabbage in it or around it was definitely not on my menu plan. 

Then, a short time ago, a friend invited us over for galumpkis made with cabbage from her son-in-law's garden. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I accepted the invitation, and I tried the galumpkis. Go figure, I liked them. 

On Saturday, my husband and I went to the local farmer's market. I was so inspired by all of the fresh produce. I had a really hard time deciding what to buy, because everything looked so good. We ended up buying way more than we probably should have, and one of the things we bought was a head of cabbage. How hard could it be to make stuffed cabbage? 

I learned, and so will you, that it is really simple.

What You Will Need:
A Large Pot (Big enough to hold the head of cabbage)
A Large Bowl
A Large Saute Pan
9 x 13 Pan
Aluminum Foil

Ingredients:
1 Head of Cabbage
Stuffing
1 1/2 pounds of Ground Beef
2 large Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Parsley
2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 cup Rice, cooked (I used long grain white rice.)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce (Make sure yours is gluten free.)
Sauce
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
2 cans Stewed Tomatoes, Pureed
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Parsley
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
In large pot, cook cabbage in boiling water for 4-6 minutes until leaves are tender, but not mushy.

Remove cabbage from boiling water. When cabbage is cool enough to touch, remove the leaves and allow to dry.

Cut out center vein of cabbage leaves.

In large bowl, mix together all stuffing ingredients using your hands.

Scoop a 1/4-1/2 cup of the stuffing mixture and place it on a cabbage leaf. 

Roll the cabbage leaf around the stuffing mixture.

Place stuffed cabbage leaf in 9 x 13 pan.

In hot saute pan, melt butter.

Saute onions until translucent. (This is called sweating the onions.)

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour sauce over stuffed cabbage in 9 x 13 pan.

Cover pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Remove aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve 'em while they are hot.

Not bad for a first attempt. The sauce I created was exceptionally good.Try it out, and see for yourself. 

"The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before."

Dare to walk alone, even if just once in a while.

Sheryl

Stuffed Zucchini

It is zucchini season here in Michigan. That makes me very happy. I really like zucchini, and I love that there are so many different things you can do with it.

My friends Stacy and Joseph have an amazing garden in their yard. Zucchini is just one of the vegetables that they are growing. Joseph keeps telling me that they have a ton of zucchini, but he keeps forgetting to give me some. No hard feelings, and I'm still looking forward to getting some.

But in the meantime, when I was at the grocery store the other day, I saw several bags of zucchini on the "marked down" shelves. I just had to rescue them. Just look at them, almost as good as just picked. The bag had these three and four more small ones, which I used to make zucchini bread (look for that post in the near future).

I've never made stuffed zucchini before, but I've eaten it. I really liked it, so I thought it would be cool to try it out. It turned out pretty good, but there are a few adjustments that I will make next time. They are included in this recipe. I'm sure you will love it.

What You Will Need:
Large Skillet

Baking Dish 
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Ingredients:
3 Zucchini (medium to large)
1 pound Ground Beef
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Ground Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Corn Starch
1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1 cup White Rice cooked with Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Gluten Free Bread Crumbs (made from my Best Gluten Free Bread - posted on May 29, 2013)
1/2 cup Shredded Italian Blend Cheese (or the white cheese of your choice)

Directions:
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds and some of the meat to create boats. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, and place zucchini boats in the baking dish.

In skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat. Do not cook the meat all the way. Drain fat out of skillet. Add the garlic, pepper, paprika, onion powder, corn starch, cardamom, cumin and beef stock. Simmer over low heat until most of the stock is reduced.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium bowl, mix together ground beef mixture and rice.

Scoop mixture into zucchini boats.

Spread breadcrumbs over zucchini boats.

(My kids don't like zucchini, so they asked if they could just eat the meat stuffing. I'm a sucker for their adorable faces, so I filled some ramekins with the extra meat mixture.)

Bake stuffed zucchini boats (and ramekins) for 25 minutes, sprinkle cheese on top, then bake for an additional 5 minutes.

My pictures don't have cheese, because this is
one of the changes I will make next time. I added
cheese on my leftovers the next day for lunch,
and it made all the difference.

My hubby and I really enjoyed our stuffed zucchini. And if your kids are as picky as ours (and you are a sucker for them like I am for mine), the ramekin trick worked wonders. They loved the stuffing. 

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire!" ~ St. Catherine of Siena

Let's set the world on fire!

Sheryl

Ground Beef Empanadas

I was trying to decide what to do with the extra pie crust I had chilling in the fridge. I figured I had already done two sweet pies in recent weeks, so it was time to use the pie crust in a savory recipe. American meat pies always seem so dry to me, but I have always loved empanadas. So, I checked out recipes on the internet. Then I created my own recipe based on a few that I read. 

These empanadas are so good! I can't believe I have never made them before.  Not only are they delicious, but they are super easy to make. They are definitely going to become a staple in our menu plan. The whole family enjoyed them! My daughter even helped make them. I love it when my kids help me in the kitchen. 

What You Will Need:
Large Skillet
Rolling Pin
Silicone Mat
Soy Flour
Small Bowl of Water
Fork
Rack set in a Baking Sheet

Ingredients:
Prepared Pie Crust (Posted on May 18, 2013)
1 1/2 pound Ground Beef
2 Tablespoons Dried, Minced Onions (You can use fresh if you like - 1/2 small onion diced)
2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 can Tomato Sauce

Directions:
In large skillet, brown ground beef. Remove ground beef from skillet, pour out fat, and return ground beef to the skillet.

Add onions, cumin, garlic powder, salt, peeper and tomato sauce. Stir to combine.

Simmer until liquid is reduced, approximately 20 minutes.

Let cool completely.

The pie crust is easiest to work with when it is cold. Cut your pie crust in four pieces, and work with one piece at a time. Keep additional pieces in the refrigerator until you are ready to work with them.

On a well floured silicone mat or clean counter top, roll out pie crust to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.

I am all about free formed empanadas. It can be difficult to roll out dough to a specific shape, and you often have extra that needs to be re-rolled. I don't like to re-roll. So, try to keep them approximately the same size, but be creative with your shapes. I cut a triangle off of the end of this one and then cut the rest of it in half.

Spoon about 1 Tablespoon of meat into the center of the dough.

Use your finger to wet the edges with the water.

Fold the crust over the meat and press the edges together. Use a flour dusted fork to crimp the edges.

Place completed empanadas on a rack set in a baking sheet.

I only had one pie crust, not the two that the pie crust recipe makes, and I was able to make 12 empanadas. I had plenty of left over meat, which I proceeded to freeze for later.

I made my empanadas in the morning, but didn't want to eat them until dinner. I covered them with plastic wrap and chilled them in the fridge until dinner time.

Just before cooking, spray the empanadas with cooking spray.

Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes at 350° F.

They are so yummy, AND they are healthier than the fried version. Yay!! Win-win!

I served them with rice. I probably should have had a vegetable too, but I just wasn't feeling it. My husband likes them with sour cream. I dipped mine in salsa. My kids just ate them au natural. I bet they would be good with guacamole too. It really doesn't matter how you eat them, just do it. You will be happy you did.

Look at them. They are just begging you to eat them!

"Enjoy the little things in life . ..  for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things!"

I love the little things. They make all the difference.

Sheryl