Wild Rice and Quinoa Dolmas

Dolmas are a Mediterranean classic and make a great healthy grab and go snack. I pack them for work, bike rides and hiking and am always satisfied by these little leaves. They take a bit of patience to make but once you get the hang of it this will become a recipe you can rely on. Instead of white rice I blend wild rice and quinoa for added texture, flavor and protein. Get funky with your fillings and make these any way you like!

Ingredients:

1 Jar Whole Grape Leaves (roughly 50 in a jar)

1 Medium Yellow Onion, Small Dice

3/4 cup Pine Nuts, ( try sunflower seeds instead, cheaper and delicious)

2 Cups Wild Rice and Quinoa Blend, Partially Cooked

1 Bunch of Parsley, Finely Chopped

1 Bunch of Mint, Finely Chopped

Zest of 2 Lemons, 2 Tbsp Roughly

Juice of 2 Lemons for filling, (have more lemons on hand for serving and eating)

1 Tbsp Honey

2 Glugs of Good Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine 1 cup uncooked wild rice and 1 cup raw quinoa in a saucepan and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to heat to low and simmer on low for 25 mins. Uncover and scoop out 2 cups of the rice blend being mindful to leave as much liquid behind as possible. Place into a bowl. Mixture will still be wet because it is not done cooking. (You want this mixture 75% of the way done). Let the remaining rice mixture finish cooking on the stove (roughly 15 more mins). Take the two cups you removed and strain any excess liquid. Discard liquid or add back to the pot if needed.

Sweat onion in olive oil on medium/low heat for 6 minutes. Add pine nuts or sunflower seeds and cook for 5 mins more until onions are soft and nuts are nutty. Add this mixture to the rice mix.

Add chopped fresh herbs. It may look like a lot of herbs but they really do the talking in this recipe. They are bright, healthy and delicious and add great flavor. Stir to combine.

Add lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, olive oil and salt and pepper. Stir and taste! Adjust seasoning to your liking. You want the filling to be able to stick together slightly but not too wet. If it is too dry add more olive oil and or honey as you like.

Pro tip: When “seasoning” with salt you never want to taste salt. You want to taste the ingredients at their best and the salt is there to enhance their natural flavors.

Now that your filling is perfect its time to make the Dolmades.

Remove the leaves from the jar (as gently as possibly being careful not to tear) and rinse each leaf in a colander or bowl under cold water. You want to remove some of the “brining” liquid that it has been marinating in.

Place a single leaf flat on your cutting board and make sure the veins of the leaf are facing up. With a small knife remove the stem of the leaf. Add about a Tablespoon of filling to the base of the leaf and then fold the sides in left and right. Then roll from the bottom upward like a little burrito. Begin placing finished Dolmas in a large stock pot that has a few inches of water and and a steamer basket in the bottom. Repeat rolling the dolmas until all of the filling and leaves are used up. This recipe makes about 45 Dolmas.

Be patient! Pour a glass of wine, put on some tunes and get into the Dance of the Dolmas. You should enjoy cooking as much as you enjoy eating!

Pack the dolmas in a tight layer and and then stack them on top as you go. Once finished cover the pot and simmer on low for 30 minutes steaming them. You want a gentle steady steam and you don’t want to blast them apart (dolmas are delicate). Steaming will allow the rice mixture to cook the rest of the way, the flavors to merry and the grape leaves to seal shut.

Allow them to cool uncovered about 45 minutes so that they are able to be removed gently from the pot. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight before serving. Dolmas are served cold or at room temp.

To serve: Drizzle with good quality olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt! You can also dip them in a nice tangy greek yogurt.