Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
1 large head of cabbage, green or red
2 tablespoons butter (substitute Butter-Flavor Crisco for a vegan version)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups cooked white rice
1 pound ground turkey (substitute 1 package Morningstar Farms Cooking Crumbles for a vegetarian/vegan version)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 celery stalks, chopped fine
1 green pepper, chopped fine
4 cups tomato sauce

Directions:

Boil two quarts of the water in a large pot. Core the cabbage and carefully peel off the individual leaves, running under hot water if necessary to loosen them. Boil the leaves two at a time for two to three minutes minutes. Remove the cooked leaves to a collandar. Reserve two cups of the cooking water. Cut out the bottom of the center vein on each leaf.

Melt the butter or Crisco in a pan and add the onion and garlic, sauteeing until golden brown. Remove from heat and mix the onion and garlic mixture in a bowl with ground meat, rice, salt, pepper, parsley, green pepper, and celery.

Place 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the rice mixture on each cabbage leaf. Roll the leaves up by folding in the sides, then rolling from the bottom of the leaf. Carefully place the finished rolls back in the pot used to boil the water. The rolls do not need to be perfect, by any means, as long as they are placed close together in the pot.

Combine the tomato sauce and the reserved cabbage water in a bowl. Pour enough into the pot to almost cover the cabbage. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for two to three hours, gently pressing the rolls down into the sauce periodically. Add more of the tomato sauce and water mixture to the pot as needed. Let the rolls stand for a few minutes before dishing them up. Serve on beds of white rice or mashed potatoes.