Dolmades (Stuffed Grape Leaves)

Each Middle Eastern country has its own variety of grape leaf filling. This is a Greek recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, minced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

• 2 cups short grain brown rice, cooked

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• pinch black pepper

• 1 jar (8 oz.) grape leaves, drained 

Method

1. In a small saucepan, sauté the onion in half the olive oil, then mix it with the remaining ingredients, except the grape leaves.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

3. Spread out 10 grape leaves, with the darker side facing down. Spoon a teaspoon of filling onto each leaf.

4. Fold the bottom up, the sides toward the middle, then roll toward the top. Place them on an oiled pan, then brush the tops with the remaining oil.

5. Bake, covered, for 35-40 minutes.

  Makes 20-30.

This recipe was excerpted from The Accidental Vegan, © 2000. Reprinted with permission from the publisher: The Crossing Press Inc., P.O. Box 1048, Freedom, CA 95019. http://crossingpress.com.

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Devra Gartenstein is the accidental vegan (vegetarian that uses no dairy, eggs, or any type of animal product). She stumbled on vegan cooking due to the overwhelming number of requests from people who were customers of her catering service. She had to adjust every recipe to make it at least as good, if not better than, meat-based or fat-based food. So the cooking in this recipe book has been pushed to the max. Her chapter on the use of seitan is worth the cost of the book by itself. Devra is the owner of The Lucky Palate in Seattle. Visit her website at http://luckypalate.com/index.shtml.