I really love to pretend that I travel the world through the food I prepare. In fact, as a family sometimes we really get into our themed dinners. But the last little while I’ve seriously had to stretch my imagination. You see my husband fell in love with CrossFit (it’s an amazing workout/training program and after only a month he’s already lost more than 2 inches, 10 pounds and has toned up a ton. The training program encourages a healthy diet of lean protein and cutting out any grain that swells in your stomach (A.K.A. bread, pasta, rice and oatmeal) as well as dairy. All that, in an effort to help cut and build muscle. So when I wanted to try an Egyptian cabbage roll I had to do some re-imagining.
Traditionally an Egyptian cabbage roll is boiled cabbage leafs which are filled with rice and seasoning, rolled up like a burrito and boiled some more. So here’s my version; sort of an inside out Egyptian cabbage roll that married a pork roast! bil hana wish shifa’! Enjoy!
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 onion, 1/2 chopped the other 1/2 grated
1 – 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 lemon juiced
1 tbsp. dried dill weed
2 tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tbsp. dried mint
1-2 tsp. cumin
1 – 3-5 lb. pork roast
2 tsp. sesame seed oil or sunflower seed oil
2 tbsp. chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
plus more salt, pepper, and herbs for roast
Chop cabbage and onion into a large bowl. Combine tomato sauce, lemon juice and herbs together. Toss to coat. Rub sesame seed oil or sunflower seed oil onto roast and give it a little sprinkling of each: dill weed, parsley and cumin. Place roast in a large crock pot or roasting pan and pile the cabbage in around it. Cook in a crock pot for 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. If using a roasting pan and an oven preheat oven to 375. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Prepare brown rice the last 45 minutes of cook time. Remove pork roast and slice. Serve a big pile of cabbage and a slice or two of pork roast over rice (or you have the option of skipping the rice).
Serves 4-6
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