This is a vegetarian version of a traditional Eastern European dish. If you’ve never made or eaten these before, you might be surprised how good they are.
Rinse 3/4 C. of brown or green lentils. Cook in 3 C. water in a small pot with 1/2 t. salt until tender. Drain the water.
In a separate small pot, cook 1/2 C. quinoa in 1 C. vegetable broth.
Cut the core out of 1 Cabbage using a paring knife. Carefully remove the largest 8-10 leaves from the cabbage head so that they remain whole. Reserve the rest of the cabbage head for another recipe.
Fill a larger pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cook the cabbage leaves until they are just tender. They will go from being rather stiff to limp. Remove from the water with a tongs and allow to drain.
Clean and finely dice 1 leek and 1 small carrot. Saute in 2 T. olive oil until the leek is tender, then add 1 minced clove of garlic and 1 t. smoked paprika. Saute another 2-3 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and quinoa, along with 1 T. red wine vinegar and 2 T. soy sauce. Stir well to combine and remove from heat. Taste and season with salt, pepper and/or more vinegar.
Place a spoonful or three of filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf (depending on how big the leaves are). Fold the sides over first, then roll up the leaf over the filling.
At this point, you can just eat the cabbage rolls as they are, perhaps with salsa on top. Or you can pile them into a baking dish lined with 1/2 C. of your favorite tomato sauce, then and top with more sauce. Then bake them at 350 for an hour until the sauce is bubbling and beginning to brown.