Hunt’s Tomatoes- - Providing The Ideal Everyday Superfood for Heart Health

As the saying goes, “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” Well, it seems that it’s also true about tomatoes. ConAgra Foods Inc., makers of Hunt’s, recently demonstrated that when eating tomatoes, you are directly benefiting your cardiovascular health.
“Beyond the widely recognized benefits of lycopene, recent studies have suggested that the distinct combination of nutrients found in tomatoes may have a measureable impact on heart prevention,” according to the company’s recent press release. “Lycopene absorption is two to three times greater in canned tomato products than raw tomatoes,” the company said.  
When I was asked by TheMotherhood to work with Hunt’s to discuss the importance of taking care of your heart and specifically the source of my inspiration, I was beyond excited. You can ask Mr. Man……cardiovascular health is something that has affected our lives greatly. First off, my husband, Mr. Man, was named after his grandfather, whom he never met due to the fact that his life was taken at the young age of 55 – the result of a massive heart attack. Next, Mr. Man’s maternal grandfather has suffered from more than one heart event. We are fortunate to have him here today, but it still serves as a reminder that we are not invincible. Finally, Mr. Man’s father, at the age of 56, had a heart attack. This is a day I wish I could forget. I thank every star in the sky that he survived this and it serves as a reminder that each day is a gift, one we should cherish.
With marriage, you ultimately take on one’s family history. Not to say this is a bad thing, but, when you say your wedding vows and commit “until death do us part,” this is included. Therefore, the person who inspires me to take care of my heart and most importantly his, is Mr. Man. So, the recipe I decided to make, with Hunt’s tomatoes, was created by his maternal grandmother (Bean’s Baba Ray) – Turkey Stuffed Cabbage.

Bean’s Baba Ray’s Turkey Stuffed Cabbage

With Mr. Man’s Great Aunt Hilda’s Enhancements to the recipe

We are divulging a secret family method in this recipe developed by Baba Ray and her sisters. Instead of sitting over a pot of boiling water and steaming the cabbage leaves, this recipe calls for you to put the whole cabbage in the freezer to completely freeze. Then, when you plan on making the dish, make sure you take the cabbage out AT LEAST 24 hours prior so it defrosts. The defrosting makes the leave pliable and you can roll them.

Ingredients:
1 Whole cabbage
1 pound chopped turkey
1/2 cup potato pancake mix
Garlic powder (to taste)
1 cup Hunt’s tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
2/3 of 28 ounce can Hunt’s tomato puree
1 15 ounce can Hunt’s tomato sauce
1 lemon juiced
1/2 cup yellow raisins
Honey to taste
1 onion sliced
Directions:
1) Take whole cabbage out of freezer AT LEAST 24 hours before making this dish.
2) Make rice according to direction ahead of time and let cool.
3) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4) Mix 1 lb chopped turkey with 1/2 cup potato pancake mix and garlic powder to taste.
5) Add approximately 1 cup Hunt’s tomato sauce to moisten mixture.
6) Mix in enough rice to be even though out mixture (I added approximately  1 1/2 cup).
7) Carefully pull the cabbage leaves off of the cabbage and cut of hard stem part of leaf.
8) Put a heaping Tablespoon of turkey filling on cabbage and carefully roll bringing sides in and rolling to end. ^{(Below is a video demonstrating the method- - This is my first video so it isn’t perfect)}

Health, Happiness, Hamstrings demonstration of how to roll the stuffed cabbage- - please note I used a smaller sized cabbage in this video.

9) Next, prepare the sauce. Which is a mixture of 2/3 of a 28 oz can Hunt’s tomato puree and 1 15 oz can Hunt’s tomato sauce. Mix in honey and lemon to taste. The sauce needs to taste sweet and sour and depends on your own palette.
10) Put half sauce on bottom of a Pyrex pan with sliced onions and cut up inside section of the cabbage.
11) Put the stuffed cabbage on the sauce and cover with the remaining sauce.
12) Cover the pan and cook for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes.
We hope you enjoy this family recipe as much as we do.

Bean’s Baba Ray’s Turkey Stuffed Cabbage Using Hunt’s Tomatoes VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Disclosure: I was compensated by TheMotherhood and Hunt’s to write this blog post.