Unstuffed Cabbage

 

I wanted to eat stuffed cabbage rolls, but didn't want to actually stuff any cabbage. Lol.  So i just chopped it up and made the meat part into meatballs instead.  

Here is a link to the original recipe I found https://www.smalltownwoman.com/cabbage-rolls/.  My version had some changes like omitted the rice, substituted white sugar for brown (because that's what I had on hand), used all ground beef (no pork sausage), and did not stuff or bake anything.  It still turned out really delicious.

Here's my version.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic,minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 Tablespoon white sugar
• 1 large cabbage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as described above (chop, mince)
2. Heat pot and add oil, half the onions and half the garlic. Saute until softened.
3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. Stir.
4. Add cabbage and cover.  Stir occasionally.
   
5. In a separate bowl, combine ground beef, remaining onion and garlic, egg, parsley, and paprika. 
6. Form small meatballs and airfry at 350 for 15 minutes.
7. Add meatballs to pot of cabbage and let simmer together for a few minutes.
8. Enjoy!
   

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
IG post of this video: Unstuffed Cabbage (Reel) 
YouTube post of this video: Unstuffed Cabbage (full video with captions) 

Meatball Zucchini Soup

 

I found a recipe for a meatball and zucchini soup on Instagram.  I didn't have the exact ingredients, (although I'm sure that would've been lovely) so I used what I had on hand.  But I definitely want to try this with all the fresh herbs in the future.  Here's the link the original recipe by @pete_eatss:
https://www.instagram.com/pete_eatss/reel/CXKwB7slRea/?utm_medium=copy_link

Here's what I did for my variation.

Ingredients

Broth:
4 cups water
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fish sauce

Garlic mix:
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Meat mix:
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon sugar
Dash of salt
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
Garlic mix from above

1 small zucchini

Instructions

1. Add broth ingredients to a pot and heat on stove.
2. Peel garlic.  Smash garlic with cracked black pepper with a mortar and pestle.
3. Combine all meat mix ingredients and mix well.
4. Drop 1-inch balls of the meat mix into broth and bring to boil.
5. Scoop scum off top and discard.
6. Add zucchini and boil for a few minutes until cooked through.
7. Serve and enjoy!

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
IG post of this video: Meatball Zucchini Soup (Reel) 
YouTube post of this video: Meatball Zucchini Soup (full video with captions)  

Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Meatballs

I found this tube of pesto paste on Amazon  and was excited to create something with it.  The ingredients are basil, sunflower and olive oils, salt, pine nuts, and garlic.  I was on a whole 30 journey at the time so this was perfect.

Here's the link if you want to give it a try: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0005XPC0A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the recipe for my meatballs.

Ingredients:

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tube pesto paste

Instructions:

1. Prepare ingredients as indicated above (chop, slice).
2. Combine everything well.
3. Scoop balls and lay them out in a pan, spaced out 1-2 inches.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Enjoy!

IG: @abundanceofvegetables
IG post of this video: Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Meatballs (sped up for IG)
YouTube post of this video: Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Turkey Meatballs (full video with captions)