Cruciferous party

I love the word cruciferous.  Cruciferous is another word for cabbage-family vegetables and they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Today my stars are kale and cabbage

Beer-Braised Kale with Pancetta
- 1 bunch Kale
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup pancetta
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 beer
- 1/2 cup stock ( I used vegetable)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Start by washing the kale.  Pull it off of the hard stems and break into pieces.  I used my salad spinner to wash and dry it off.  Heat olive oil in a dutch oven and saute onions and pancetta until getting browned.  Add the garlic at the end (I grate it with a microplane).  Add the kale and a bit more oil and coat it with the oil and onion mixture.  Add the beer and stock to cover kale about 2/3 of the way.  Put a lid on and simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy :)  We had some leftover meatballs.  I probably should have let it braise 5 more minutes it was still not quite tender, but it was still yummy.

Turkey Stuffed Cabbage 
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1/3 cup uncooked brown rice
-2/3 cup water
- splash Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- 8 cabbage leaves
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- splash white wine
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1 tsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 cup marinara sauce

- Bring 2/3 cup water to a boil.  Add rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Bring a wide, large saucepan 2/3 way full of water to a boil.  Add cabbage head whole for about 6 minutes.  This helps so that the leaves peel right off and don't tear.  Drain and cool. 

Combine the ground turkey, rice, tomato paste, some juice from the fire-roasted tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, onion, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.  Spoon into the cabbage leaves and place in a dutch oven (I used the same pot I boiled water in for the cabbage).  I placed them with the rolled side down so it stayed together, but you could use a toothpick or string if desired.  Pour sauce, rest of the fire-roasted tomatoes, stock, and wine over top.  Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes, basting and stirring occasionally.   Serve.

These were absolutely delicious.  I didn't miss the red meat in them.  It made some extra sauce to pour over the top.  Probably one of my favorites on the website so far!  Thanks for reading :)