Cabbage Lasagna

As you may have noticed, I am not the very best at consistantly doing anything. For those who do follow the blog, I apologize. It has not been forgotten--just put aside for a while.
Here is a fantastic low-carb lasagna, or, if you are a purist like my brother (who insists that it cannot be called lasagna), a cabbage and tomato gratin. Or perhaps it's like flattened cabbage rolls. Despite his protests on this dish's authenticity, my brother ate three pieces and offered to take home what we didn't want, so whatever you call it, be assured that your family or guests will call it delicious.
I got this recipe from a friend of mine who has done fantastically on a low-carb diet. Thank you, Hetty, for a wonderful, filling meal with low-cost ingredients.

Cabbage Lasagna
8-9 servings

One medium to large head of cabbage

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (optional)

3/4 to 1 lb ground round

1 can spaghetti sauce (I use Prego, generally mushroom-flavored varieties)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)

1 cup or more grated Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (whole milk ricotta, on my part)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash cabbage and remove the tough outer leaves (those that are a very dark green). Cut the head in half. Carefully peel back the leaves, trying to keep them intact--they will serve as the lasagna noodles. Steam the leaves in whatever way you find best (microwave, steamer, rice cooker) until they are very tender. Do not skimp on the steaming--they will not soften further in the oven, and crunchy cabbage leaves do no textural favors to this dish.

Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and green pepper, if you are using it (I personally despise green pepper, so I skip it) until the onion is translucent. If you know you'll have to leave the stove, do the onions first, and add the garlic once they are already translucent, cooking a few more minutes. It won't hurt the onions, and it will keep your tiny pieces of garlic from burning.

Add the ground round and brown thoroughly. Drain or skip any excess fat or liquid. Pour in spaghetti sauce and seasonings, and stir until combined. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2 (standard long) baking pan with olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with cabbage leaves. Top with half the meat mixture. Add a third of the mozzarella, and half the ricotta. Repeat the layers. Add a third layer of cabbage leaves, top with the last third of mozzarella, and cover with Parmesan. Cover with foil or a lid.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and slightly brown.

I hear this dish freezes well. I wouldn't know. There's generally enough for lunch for both of us once we've had it for dinner, and then it's gone.

Breakfast Stroganoff

This is a recipe I threw together on Saturday morning—relief from eggs! I discovered that I actually love green tomatoes during my experimentations last week. The fried recipe did not work out so well, but they tasted great even though their coating fell off. I’m looking forward to using them cooked and fresh in a lot of dishes.

Breakfast Stroganoff
½ to 1 lb ground beef (I used ¾ lb, I think, but that’s an awkward measurement)
Half an onion, sliced then roughly chopped
8 oz sour cream, more or less to taste
1 green tomato, sliced into thin strips
½ packet Goya Sazón seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning blend
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons port, sack, sherry, or dry white wine in a pinch

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, and sauté five minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan, pushing other ingredients to the side. Break it up with whatever you’re using to stir (you are stirring, aren’t you?). Add alcohol. Cook until meat is brown with almost no trace of pink. Add seasonings and green tomato. Cook five minutes. Take off heat, stir in sour cream, and serve.

I love this because the green tomatoes add acidity and actually work well texturally for the noodles you will not be eating. It’s not ‘real’ stroganoff, but it’s nearly as delicious, and great for a change of pace for breakfast. I suppose you could have it for lunch or dinner too!

Recipe Trial: Mini Meatloaf Wrapped in Bacon

So I tried this recipe last night, because my original plan of using my ground meat in a sauce for low-carb pasta (Dreamfields is amazing) was foiled by my use of tomato puree in....something else that I forget, but which was probably not very good.

I had to make a few changes, so don't let this be a complete review of this recipe for ya! I had a pound of ground chuck and a pound of ground pork, so that is what I used. I substituted the last of my almond meal (drat, now I have to go to the store again!) for the breadcrumbs. I don't think that there was quiiiiite a cup of it. I used eggs, which is in the recipe but the author does not use. I used a scant cup of the optional cheese. And I made my own ketchup out of the bit of tomato puree in my fridge, apple cider vinegar, salt, and cloves.

It proved to be relatively easy to make, although having someone else there to wrap the bacon around your squishy ball of meat mixture is extremely helpful. Unlike the author's, my meatloaf was greasy--I had to wipe the top of my muffin tin with paper towel before I grabbed it, hoping to save my oven mitts. Luckily, there was no grease fire, thanks to my poor pizza stone, which lives in the oven. I sense a gruelling scrub session in my future.

The meat was moist, cooked through, and nicely flavored, although not very firm. We are pretty happy to eat our little meat-muffins (you should have seen my husband's look of disbelief when he saw them), but the Best Beloved votes for just beef next time. I may also try to make some low-carb breadcrumbs, in hopes that they will firm this up. This recipe intrigues me and I wish to know more. I may also put them on a rack in a roasting pan, and see if I can cook more of the grease out of them. When I finish redacting this recipe for low-carb deliciousness, I will post it.