Are you a Things-In-Bowls person? I am. I love making a huge bowl featuring a little bit of everything in my vegetable drawer. My husband, however, is more of a food-in-separate-compartments kind of guy—but don’t worry, my fellow bowl lovers! I’m working on him ;)
These cabbage bowls are an easy, pretty, and tasty way to present your favorite things-in-bowls. I prepared them one summer with my uncle, a former chef who’s new to vegan cooking. He was so eager to have some fun in my grandmother’s tiny kitchen that I was somehow less stressed about cooking for a group of people (plus, it’s hard to go wrong with cabbage bowls). The whole family enjoyed our creation, and I was particularly delighted to show them that yummy and satisfying vegan food can be easy to pull off.
Cabbage bowls make great casual lunch or dinner entrées. They can be a fun conversation piece. Guests will debate the merits of rolling the bowl up and eating it like a taco, which is what I do about half-way through. The best part is—you can really do anything with a cabbage bowl. The following are just suggestions to get you started, so be creative and play with textures and flavors!
Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes: Colorful Cabbage Bowls
YIELDS
3-4 cabbage bowls
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 fresh ginger, minced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup broccoli slaw
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground corriander
- 1 tablespoon nutritonal yeast
- dashes of smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 4 lemon wedges
Directions
1. Prepare brown rice according to package instructions while you prepare the rest of the cabbage bowl contents. Rice usually takes about 45 minutes on my stove, so I like to get it started first.
2. Wash head of purple cabbage and pat dry. Using a chef’s knife, make a firm cut at the base of the other leaves. Carefully pull these outer leaves away from the cabbage head without tearing or them. Small tears at the edges are okay, however. You will need as many leaves as people you’re planning to serve. I usually end up breaking a leaf or two, so you may have to try a few times until you get enough “bowls.”
3. In a small frying pan, heat the veggie broth over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for three minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for another two minutes. Finally, add the rest of the vegetables and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently. The veggies should still be colorful and mostly crisp when you’re done. Remove from heat.
4. When the rice has finished cooking, stir in about two cups with your veggie mix. Add tamari, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, and spices and thoroughly combine.
5. Carefully scoop mixture into cabbage bowls. Top with lemon wedges and toasted sunflower seeds. Serve immediately and enjoy!
