Vegetarian Dolma/Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves and Vegetables

This is a very tasty and nutritious vegetarian dolma that I personally prefer over the meat version.

If you don't have all of the vegetables used in the stuffing, feel free to replace with another vegetable (except I wouldn't leave out the tomatoes or garlic). You can saute the stuffing vegetables with a little oil for a few minutes but we didn't notice a taste difference when we did that.

Serves about 6

Ingredients

Vegetables to stuff
50 - 60 grape leaves
2 Italian eggplants (small eggplants)
2 zucchinis
3 large onions
1 or 2 small bell peppers

Stuffing
2 tomatoes
1 cup diced broccoli florets
1 cup diced cauliflower florets
1 potato 
1 cup of mushrooms 
4 garlic cloves
1 15 oz can chick peas drained
4 tablespoons fresh dill weed 
2 cups basmati rice
1 6 oz can tomato paste or ½ cup
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup aka pomegranate molasses  
4 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
 
Sauce Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup water
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons citric acid (can substitute for an extra lemon juiced)
1 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon pomegranate syrup aka pomegranate molasses 
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
ground red pepper to taste if you like spicy
 
Preparing vegetables to stuff

• Eggplant - remove top stem and cut in half crosswise.   Core out the middle on each half but leave the bottom part to make like a pocket.  Sprinkle salt on the inside. Save the core for the stuffing.
• Zucchini - remove top stem, peel, and cut in half crosswise.  Core out the middle on each half but leave the bottom part to make like a pocket.  Save the core for the stuffing.
• Onion - Cut the top and bottom off. Make a slit from the side into the middle of the onion and then peel.  Carve out the dark area on the bottom of the onion where the roots were (this makes it easier to pull the layers of the onion off).  Put in microwave for 2 minutes or put in boiling water for a few minutes.  Allow to cool enough to handle.  Gently remove outside leaves that are big enough to stuff and save the middle for the stuffing.
• Bell pepper - cut across the top except for about a half inch.  Remove the seeds and membrane.

 
Preparing Stuffing
Add the following to a large bowl:

• Finely dice the broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, potato, mushrooms, and the core of the eggplant, zucchini, and onions.
• Dice 2 tomatoes.
• Remove the stems from the dill and mince
• Mince garlic. 
• Add the chick peas, rice, tomato paste, 2/3 c olive oil, 1 T pomegranate syrup,  4 ½ t salt and 1 t black pepper.  Gently mix by hand.

 
Stuffing Vegetables

• You will need a 6 or 8 quart pot.

• Line the bottom of your pot with carrots or celery or anything else you prefer so your stuffed vegetables and dolma don't burn or stick on the bottom.  I used fava beans.
• Start stuffing zucchini, eggplant, onions, and peppers a little more than ¾ full.  Make sure the onion skins overlap each other when you are closing them. Add the vegetables to your pot after you stuff them.  Try to wedge the eggplant and zucchini into each other so the stuffing doesn’t come out. 
• Next roll grape leaves. Lay out a grape leaf, vein side up.  Put stuffing near the top but not right to edge.  Bring the sides in and then roll starting from the top, while tucking in at the same time.  Try to lay grape leaves close to each other so they don’t come apart when cooked.

 
Cooking

• Mix  the sauce ingredients and pour over vegetables and dolma in the pot.
• Place your pot on stove over high heat for a couple of minutes until the liquids boil. 
• Cover and reduce heat to low to simmer for an hour or until rice is cooked.
• Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove lid from pot.  Place a serving dish bigger than your pot over your pot (serving side down).  Flip the pot and serving dish over together and set down.  Slowly remove your pot.