Stuffed Cabbage

Well, I usually hate cabbage but steamed cabbage with Japanese Mayonnaise stuff with marinaded tofu isn't all that bad... The picture shows the fillings on the side.

For this delicious vegan (yes, Japanese Mayo is made of soy) recipe you will need:

• Cabbage leaves (it took about half a cabbage for me to harness five whole cabbage leaves...hope you have have gentler man-hands)
• 1/2 block of tofu
• Vermicelli - I try to do tofu to vermicelli on a 2 to 1 ratio since tofu soaks in the marinate a lot better
• Soy Sauce and rice vinegar - amount depends on how much you like soy sauce, or substitute marinara sauce if you want it with a more Western flavor 
• Salt and granulated chicken stock to taste
• Japanese Mayo

Here are the steps to this delicious and guilt-free (though it depends on how much you eat and how sorry you feel for the cows...) meal:

1. Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling water for about a minute or until it becomes soft then drain and cool
2. While the cabbage leaves are busy being cool, dice the tofu and vermicelli  into fine pieces
3. Remove the diced stuffing into a ziplock bag and add your preferred marinade sauce (soy sauce or marinara)
4. Add salt and granulated chicken stock (I know it's "to taste" but it will come out tasting like soggy cardboard with no salt or chicken stock at all)
5. Shake bag vigorously (or mush the contents around because we all secretly miss playing with play dough all day) until all the tofu pieces are the same color
6. Open up a cabbage leaf, throw a bit of stuffing and roll it up like a burrito (also calls for a little delicate touch as wet cabbage is even easier to tear than dry cabbage)
7. Once all the cabbages are stuffed, you can either put it on the steamer for 20 minutes or cover with plastic wrap (make sure it's completely sealed!) and microwave for about 5 minutes.
8. Squeeze some Japanese Mayo on top and you are don!

Tip: Boiling water is hot, thought you should know. . . .