Sun-dried Tomato Cabbage Rolls with Sunflower Seed Ricotta
[Vegan]

To Make the Cabbage Rolls:

1. First, press the tofu by wrapping the block in a clean dish towel and placing it on a level surface. Lay a cutting board on the tofu and something heavy on top, such as a cookbook or some cans of beans. Press for 20 minutes. Then, unwrap the tofu and it's ready to use.
2. Meanwhile, blanch and shock the cabbage leaves: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.
3. Submerge two cabbage leaves at a time in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they are flexible. Tougher leaves will need to be boiled a little longer.
4. Remove the leaves from the pot, using tongs—be careful, as the cabbage leaves can easily rip—and submerge them in the ice water. You can let the leaves hang out in the ice water for a minute. Then, remove them from the water and pat them dry to remove any excess water (this is important, to prevent too much water pooling in the casserole dish). Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves.
5. Cut out and discard the hard stem and any heavy ribs from each cabbage leaf, creating a V shape at the base. Set aside.
6. Next, make the filling. In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion with a few tablespoons of water (30 ml) for 7 to 10 minutes, adding water, as needed, to prevent burning. While the onion is cooking, drain the sun-dried tomatoes well, discarding their soaking liquid and finely chop them.
7. Add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often, for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms begin to shrink and release their juices. Drain off and discard any excess liquid in the pan and transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl. Unwrap the pressed tofu and, using your hands, finely crumble the tofu into the bowl of veggies. Mix everything together and set aside.

To Make the Ricotta:

1. In a high-speed blender, combine the sunflower seeds, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt and water. Blend on high speed until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Scoop the ricotta into the bowl of veggies and tofu and mix well.

To Assemble:

1. Spread 1 cup (240 ml) of marinara over the bottom of a 9 x 13–inch (23 x 33–cm) casserole dish or similar size.
2. Place a rounded ⅓ cup (90 ml) of the filling across the center of each cabbage roll. Starting at the V shape’s end, pull the V together, roll the cabbage leaf over the filling once, fold in the sides and roll forward away from you into a nice bundle, like a burrito. Place the roll, seam side down, in the casserole dish. Repeat with each roll. Spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of additional marinara onto each roll.
3. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and let the rolls rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, when the cabbage rolls have 10 minutes left in the oven, cook the quinoa (if using) according to the package directions.
4. Serve the cabbage rolls on their own or on top of warm quinoa. Spoon the remaining marinara from the casserole dish onto the rolls.