Quinoa Cabbage Rolls (gluten free, vegan)

Quinoa Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are kind of hard to describe. You have sweet, softened leaves of cabbage wrapping a filling, often rice or buckwheat. Since I had quinoa on hand, I thought, "why not?" That idea was a good one.

I stayed close to the recipe for Meatless Holubtsi in the Ukrainian Daughters' Cookbook,* that my Baba gave me years ago. While not difficult, cabbage rolls are time consuming because there are three steps: cooking the filling, making the rolls, and baking them. The good news is that it is a good "potluck" dish, so if you give yourself three hours 'til mealtime and have it done early, it is fine to keep warm in a covered casserole. You can also make it ahead, either at the pre-baked prepped stage or after baking and warm it up.

Sweet Potato Gems (gluten free, vegan, no added sugar)

Sweet Potato Gems

This sweet potato casserole is hued in festive oranges and reds. In a break from tradition, no marshmallows distract from the delicate and sweet spiciness. So simple, yet so pretty and flavourful, Sweet Potato Gems would make a cheery addition to any meal.

3 cups grated sweet potatoes (one large)
1 cup grated beets (one large or four small. Beets vary greatly.)
1 cup water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt of your choice

Preheat the oven to 375F Grease a lidded casserole dish with coconut oil or a light spray of olive oil.

Layer the grated sweet potatoes and beets. (Do not mix them.) Start with a bottom layer, two inches thick, of sweet potatoes. Top with a thin layer of beets, then the rest of the sweet potatoes and rest of the beets.

Stir the spices and salt into the water, and pour evenly over the sweet potato and beet layers.

Bake for about an hour with the lid on. 

Looking for more natural food recipes and ideas? Check out these recipe shares: Pennywise Platter, Foodie Friday, Fight Back Friday,  Allergy Friendly Friday,  Allergy Free Wednesday,  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday,  Real Food Wednesday,  Full Plate Thursday and Empty Your Archives (veggie collection)

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Kolachi (braided circle bread)

I was a lucky kid: my mother grew up in a home where Christmas was celebrated on December 25th. My father's family celebrated Christmas on January 6th. In our house, we celebrated both. On December 25th we would exchange gifts and have a big dinner. The second, "Ukrainian Christmas" was all about food. Kutia, perogies, borsch, cabbage rolls... There were a few times when we travelled to my Baba and Gida's home and joined my aunts, uncles and cousins for a traditional Christmas Eve supper. Twelve meatless dishes are served to remind us of the twelve apostles. That is a lot of good, good food.

My First Kolach!

One of my favorite parts of Ukrainian Christmas was the kolach: a braided bread that decorated the table. Sometimes three were stacked on each other to represent the Holy Trinity. Rich and sweet, I could not wait for my mother to take the candle out if the middle and let us cut it up.