Dolmades

Vegan Dolmades served with Greekish Bean Stew and Vegan Greek Salad

Would you like to have a nice Mediterranean meal at home? This Red Rice Dolmades is an essential ingredient. It should be accompanied by my smokey greekish bean stew and Vegan Greek salad.

I used red rice, as according to my sources, that's the most nutritious one. If you can't find it, feel free to use wholegrain rice.

For a start, red rice has more iron and zink than black or brown varieties. It also has higher antioxidant content so it can repair damages around our body. And finally it has more flavonoids that reduces inflammation.

This recipe has other fresh herbs and low temperature cooking to preserve all their benefits.

Other then the salad, you can also prepare this and the bean stew the previous day of eating it. I often use this when entertaining, so I don't need to rush and stress before my guests coming. Just chill and do some light preparation, like getting some fresh bread, light cleaning or assembling the fresh salad.

I hope I managed to convince you to try it! Go on and spread the Mediterranean love!

Ingredients of Vegan Dolmades

Ingredients

4 onions chopped, approximately 500 g

80 ml olive oil (1/3 cup)

5 tomatoes grated, skin discarded

1 heaped tbsp of tomato puree

1 cup red rice, rinsed well

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp tarragon

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp salt

75 g pinenuts

1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1/2 bunch of dill, finely chopped

1 pack, around 50 vine leaves

2 lemons

1/2 bunch dill

Filling for dolmades

Instructions

Prepare the filling:

Place half of the oil and onion and soften covered for 15-20 minutes on medium low heat. Stir occasionally.

Coarsely grate tomato, discarding skin. Stir in 3/4 of tomato, tomato puree and keep cooking, until all the liquid cooked off. Stir in rice, herbs, nuts, spices and salt and pepper. Take of heat and let it cool

Rinse vineleaves thoroughly. Slect some small or broken vine leaves and line the bottom of a large saucepan with it.

To fill them, place a leaf in your flat palm. Place around 1-2 tablespoon of filling on. Roll it up and tuck the ends in. Place .his on the bottom of the saucepan. Carry on filling the vine leaves until all the fillings are used up. When placing these in the saucepan, fill the bottom up loosely, so the rice can expand a bit, but not too much. When bottom is full, layer it up. Add remainder of grated tomato and squeezed lemon juice.

Filled and layered dolmades

Pour boiling water on, so it just about covers it. Place a flat plate upside down on it with some heat resistant weight you have at home. I usually put my glass disks for pickling. (Not like i pickle a lot, lol)

Cover, bring to simmer on medium heat. Then turn it down and cook for 45 minutes.

Take one out to test. If rice is cooked, turn off heat and let it cool. If its still crunchy add 5 more minutes.

Enjoy you delicious and healthy dolmades!

Mediterranean Meal