Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a medium frying pan, sauté onion until soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using a small, sharp knife, cut a circle around the stem and remove the core of the cabbage.
4. Place the whole cabbage in the boiling water.
5. After about a minute, the leaves will start to loosen- pull them off one at a time and out of the water with tongs.
6. Repeat until you have 12 leaves. Pat the leaves dry with paper towels.
7. Cut out the thick part of the rib from the bottom of each leaf; be careful not to cut more than a third of the way into the leaf. Set the cabbage leaves aside.
8. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the raw beef, brown rice, and onion. Add ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
9. To stuff the cabbage rolls, put 1/4-1/3 cup meat (depending on how big the cabbage leaf is) in the middle of the cabbage leaf. Fold the sides into the middle and roll it in half.
10. Place the cabbage roll into the pan with the folded sides down. Repeat until all the cabbage leaves are stuffed.
11. In a small bowl, mix together 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon chili powder.
12. Add spice mixture to pureed tomatoes. Pour mixture evenly over the cabbage rolls.
13. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Yield

1. Makes about 6 small servings
2. 5 medium servings
3. 4 large servings
4. about 3 extra large servings.
Meatballs can be served by themselves with a dipping sauce such as mustard or in tomato soup (Make sure soup doesn't have added sugars/additives. As an alternative, you can puree tomatoes and add seasoning). You can also make this non-24DC family friendly by adding to spaghetti noodles and sauce.