Tempeh & Barley Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

12.28.10

My sister Abbey made this dish and had this to say:

Our People's Grocery Grub Box/CSA has regularly supplied our house with cabbage this winter. Sometimes we even end up with two heads in the fridge. I made fermented sauerkraut, but still there was more cabbage. So over the winter holidays, I had more time to cook and decided to make this stuffed cabbage. It was time consuming but very tasty. First I made barley which I'd never done before: 1c barley to 3.5c water simmered for 1hr yields about 4 cups cooked barley! I used half in this recipe and froze the rest for a future dinner. I then sauteed grated carrots and onion and then added tempeh. To soften the cabbage, steam in a steamer basket. Peel the soft outer leaves and then stuff with about 1/3 c filling. Roll up leaf and place stem side down in the slow cooker. If needed, re-steam inner leaves of cabbage. When all stuffing is used or you run out of cabbage, cover rolls with crushed tomatoes and cook on low for 6 hours. If the cabbage on slot continues long enough, I will try the recipe again using vegetarian burger crumbles.