About
Recipe By: Jessica K. Black, N.D.
Category: Appetizers
This Recipe Makes: 8 Serving(s)
Summary
If you like lemony, tangy, and creative, this is your appetizer.
What you’ll need
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
4 oz vine leaves such as grape leaves (these can be purchased in a jar at an ethnic-food store)
1 tbsp. olive oil plus 1 tablespoon olive oil for sauteing
1/4 cup minced onion
4 med cloves garlic
2 tbsp. chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup raisins, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped kalamata olives
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup organic chicken broth
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Step 1
Arrange grape leaves flat in bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit for 2 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water, let sit for 5 minutes, and drain again.
Step 2
Meanwhile, sauté onion and 1 minced garlic clove in 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Combine cooked rice, onion mixture, mint, dill, raisins, pine nuts, olives, slat, and pepper in large bowl.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place one leaf on cutting board, vein side up, and cut off stem. Add a heaping spoonful of filling in the center. Fold the sides of leaf over filling, then roll tightly from stem end to tip to make a neat roll. If necessary, use a toothpick to keep each leaf neatly rolled.
Step 5
Set seam side down in a wax paper-lined 9×13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling, placing grape leaves cozily together; make two layers if necessary.
Step 6
Cut 3 garlic cloves into large pieces and poke them here and there between the grape leaves. Pour chicken broth over grape leaves, then remaining olive oil and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Drizzle with remaining lemon juice and serve.
Step 7
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can add 1/2 pound of uncooked lamb to this recipe and increase the baking time to 35 minutes for a richer flavor.
Diabetic Exchanges
Fat: 1Carbohydrate: 1
