This is a gut friendly and immune system friendly recipe. In ancient Greece Kale was used to treat intestinal issues and to restore the loss of voice.
This dish is my modern twist on the quintessentially Greek dish; dolmades. Instead of vine leaves I have used another ancient Greek ingredient; Kale.
The ancient Greeks loved to stuff items of food and one of their favourites was to mash foods into a paste and to wrap it in leaves or breads. I believe that kale was one of these ingredients given that it was adored by the ancient Greeks.
I have also used quinoa instead of rice or bulgur as is the tradition. You could use cooked brown white or brown rice instead of quinoa
Kale & Quinoa Dolmades With Yoghurt Dipping Sauce
Makes 10 large dolmades
Dolmades Mixture
10 large curly Kale leaves, stems removed and washed well
¼ cup, spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
½ cup uncooked quinoa
½ cup fresh zucchini, grated
½ cup carrot, grated
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Dressing
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon, ground cumin
Yoghurt Dipping Sauce
1 cup Greek style yoghurt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of ½ lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions. Set aside and let it cool down. Transfer to a bowl. Place the kale leaves in a steamer and steam them for 5 minutes until they soften. Transfer them to a plate and allow them to cool down to room temperature. Add the remaining ingredients for the dolmades mixture to the quinoa and mix well.
Place all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk. Add the dressing to the quinoa mixture and mix well.
Lay each kale leaf on a flat surface and spoon a generous amount of the mixture on the end where the stem begins. Fold the sides of the vine leaf over the filling.
Then roll the leaf all the way up, starting at the stem end, to form a neat parcel. When you have finished making all the dolmades arrange them on a serving platter.
Place all the ingredients for the yoghurt dipping sauce in a bowl and mix well.
Place the dipping sauce on the side of the platter and serve.
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Maria Benardis – Author, Intuitive Health & Wellness Coach & Chef
