My honey was making us a tasty treat for dinner tonight – pork carnitas – and I was looking for a tasty little something to put alongside them.

I came across a fabulous food blog called Homesick Texan, which offered up an amazing sopapilla recipe…

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/01/sopapillas-with-side-of-honey.html

the picture just doesn’t do it justice… they are yummy!
Oh, and don’t let the sweet sopa corral you – they are also wonderful filled with savory goodies like beans and shredded pork, with a good green or red chili of course!

Of course, if you are craving sweet, try stuffing them with a good vanilla ice cream! Add in some fresh sliced strawberries and you’ll have a different take on the old strawberry shortcake.

Enjoy… I know I will!

Filling:
1 medium head white cabbage
2 cups rice
ground beef/turkey
ground Italian sausage
1 egg
1½ Tbsp mayonaise
spices to taste

Sauce:
½ cup butter (1 stick)
½ large onion – chopped
3 large carrots – chopped
1 can tomato paste
1½ cups water

Wash & core cabbage. Place in a large pot & fill halfway with water. Boil for 25 minutes.

In another pot cook rice.

In a large skillet melt butter. Add carrots and onion. Cook until limp. Add tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and letter simmer 15 minutes.

In a large bowl mix raw meat, rice, egg mayonaise and seasonings. Add a few tablespoons of the cooking sauce.

Pierce cabbage to check for doneness (when knife slides through easily). Strain and gently peel leaves off. Cut large outer leaves in two pieces.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly cover bottom of 13” x 9” baking dish with sauce. Roll meat mixture in cabbage leaves & place in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over cabbage rolls & place in oven.

Cook for 15 minutes, or until sauce begins to boil. Reduce heat to 325 F and continue to cook for 45-60 minutes.

Serve hot. May be frozen or refrigerated and reheated in microwave (about 2 min thawed).

Recipe adapted from the kitchen of Diana Schedrin.

This sounds so simple – and it is – but it tastes fabulous!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pkg. soft tofu
1 med. head cabbage – savoy or napa work well
3 carrots – shredded
2 cloves garlic

1.5 Tbsp. oyster sauce
water
splash of mirin cooking wine

optional ingredients
1 Tbsp. minced leek

Put the oil in your pan & heat until it’s smoking.
Cube the tofu into 1″ cubes and set aside. Chop the cabbage and set aside. Peel and shred the carrots, mince the garlic and leeks.

When the oil is smoking, add the veggies. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and mirin to taste. Add a little bit of water & cover to let it cook down until the veggies are almost wilted. Add the tofu & cook 3-5 minutes more.

Serve with steamed rice.

1 container (6 oz.) low-fat plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp. grated or finely chopped ginger
2-3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and white pepper, to taste
1 Spanish onion, quartered and sliced thinly

Place the yogurt into a fine strainer lined with a paper towel and let drain while preparing the other ingredients. (The yogurt can also be drained overnight, if refrigerated.)

In a blender or food processor, purée the onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and orange juice. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 8 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Carefully pour the puréed mixture into the pan to avoid sputters. Bring it to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover tightly and simmer gently 15 minutes. Turn chicken, cover, and continue to simmer. When chicken is almost done, add onions, cover and simmer until the meat is thoroughly cooked through. Place the chicken on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Turn off heat under skillet to allow mixture to cool slightly. Stir in the drained yogurt. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until mixture is hot, taking care not to let it boil or the sauce will separate. Spoon the mixture over the chicken and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 237 calories, 6 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 15 g. carbohydrate, 31 g. protein, 2 g. dietary fiber, 115 mg. sodium.