Mom’s Bounty Rice (One-Pot Cabbage Mish-Mosh)

I know, I know. The title really sells it. She may not be a looker, but these humble, easy-to-find ingredients yield a hearty, warming one-pot meal that goes a long way, and fills you up.

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Mom’s Bounty Rice

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2 cups cooked lentils or 1 bag frozen meatless crumbles

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

1 zucchini, diced

3 cups cooked rice ( I used brown)

1 28 oz can of tomatoes

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

Chili powder to taste

½ cup vegan sour cream

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Vegan sour cream

Makes 1/2 cup

1 cup raw cashews

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

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Directions

1. Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.

2. Add onion and green pepper and cook until soft, stirring occasionally - about 5 minutes.

3. Add zucchini and cook 1-2 minutes more.

4. Add garlic powder, salt, chili powder and black pepper. Stir to combine and cook until spices are fragrant - about 1 minute.

5. Add tomatoes and rice and bring to a simmer.

6. Add cabbage, stir to combine, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed so nothing burns.

7. While that cooks, prepare the meatless crumbles as described on the package or prepare your lentils.

8. Once that’s done, set it aside and prepare the vegan sour cream by adding all the ingredients to a high speed blender and blitzing until smooth.*

9. Once cabbage is tender, but still a bit crisp, turn off the heat, stir in the prepared meatless crumbles and 1/2 cup of cashew sour cream. Enjoy!

Notes

I ate the omnivorous version of this growing up and remember it fondly. Cabbage is a great, oft overlooked vegetable. It’s super inexpensive, low in calories, and packed with nutrients. I’ve added extra nutrition to the OG recipe by throwing in a zucchini. In general, zucchini is a great veggie to add anytime you want to “beef” up the nutrition and volume of a dish. See what I did there? It’s ok if you’re rolling your eyes.

You can go with fresh tomatoes if you’d rather not used canned. It’s around 3 cups of tomatoes and their juices.

To make gluten-free: just make sure your meatless crumbles don’t contain gluten, or try adding cooked lentils instead. I have done this, and frankly prefer the lentils for a variety of reasons, but in a pinch frozen meat alternatives are great!

To make paleo or lower carb: lose the rice and try cauliflower rice instead. Again, I will try and post the details at a later date!

* No high speed blender? Soften the cashews first by pouring boiling water over them and letting them soak for a bit. You can also use store bought dairy-free sour cream (I like Kite Hill) or dairy sour cream if you’re vegetarian.

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