Cabbage-stuffed Cabbage

Cabbage-stuffed cabbage probably doesn't sound that exciting. Well, I'll just say that this is one of my favorite things that I have made in a long time. Something possessed me to buy TWO CABBAGES at the farmer's market last week. I'm not even really a cabbage person. But for some reason I came home with a red cabbage and a green cabbage. The orbs just kept sitting in my refridgerator, obstinately taking up space and reminding me that I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I've had cabbage soup and various vegan slaws, and while I like both of them I didn't feel in the mood. And I definitely didn't feel in the mood for that much cabbage soup or cole slaw. So, I started thinking about what else to do with TWO CABBAGES. Meanwhile, I'd been pondering over what to do with the bag of bulgur that has been sitting in my pantry for a while. Cabbage stuffed with bulgur? Too heavy. Cabbage stuffed with bulgur-and-cabbage? Maybe, just maybe.

Then the question was: what should be the filling, and what should be the wrap? Red or green? Green or Red? Then it hit me:

Purple and yellow. Yes. Turmeric flavors and colors the green cabbage-and-bulgur mixture. The result is, well, too much fun.

Okay, here it goes:

Get one green cabbage and one red cabbage. The red cabbage will be the wrappers, and the green cabbage will be the filling. Shred the green cabbage in the food processor. Cut the end off of the red cabbage.

1 1/2 to 2 heads of garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped.
Two big handfuls of fresh herbs leaves, leaves of the bigger ones chopped coarseley (I had sage, greek oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme.)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups bulgur

Bring a large stock pot with water to a boil. Carefully plop in the red cabbage, removing leaves as they get soft and look like they want to fall off.

In the meantime, saute garlic, herbs, and turmeric in a large saucepan for a few minutes on medium heat. Add bulgur to toast, about another 2 minutes. Add cabbage and increase heat to medium-high. Stir often, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon so that it doesn't burn. Add salt and pepper. After 15-20 minutes, when most of the moisture has cooked off of the cabbage so you have to work somewhat hard to keep it from burning, remove from heat. By now you should have your cabbage leaves ready.

You may want to take the head out of the pot and chop more off of the bottom to help you remove leaves. Once leaves are cool enough to handle, spoon about 2 tbsp of the cabbage mixture into each leaf, and roll it like a burrito. Coat a shallow tray with olive oil and fill with the cabbage rolls. Brush the tops of the wraps with olive oil and sprinkle salt on top. Cook for about 20 minutes on 275. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Yum!

Cannellini and Black Bean Soup with Mustard Greens

This soup is a nice twist on a kale and black bean soup. I had about a cup or so of dried black beans, a cup and a half of dried cannellini beans, and a bunch of mustard greens from the farmer's market. Here's the result:

I soaked the beans overnight.

I took a head of garlic, peeled, and sliced, and sauteed that in some oil in the bottom of my soup pot along with some spices: about two teaspoons of each of turmeric and paprika, and a tablespoon of chili powder (but the chili powder I currently have is really weak). Aside from flavor and nutrition, the spices give a nice color to the soup, which would otherwise be kind of grey. Add water (about a quart and a half), and beans. Bring to a soft boil for 45 minutes to an hour, until the beans give but aren't quite cooked yet. Then add mustard greens that have been chopped into big bite-sized pieces, and turn down the heat to a big simmer for 15 minutes, or as desired. Add salt to taste.