Today's featured cookbook, Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert, is one that I mentioned several months ago here on Slashfood, but I like it so much that I thought it deserved a second mention. I pulled it off my shelf a couple of days ago, because I've been in something of a cooking funk lately and thought it might help to inspire me. I find that without the abundance of the farmers market, I have a hard time finding new things to cook. I've been rotating between pots of soup and loaves of bread for weeks now, without much variation. I thought that reading some new recipes, geared towards the quite austerity of the winter, might help me at least alter the variety of soups I'm making (I switch between carrot based soups and chicken with veggies and rice).

And inspire me it did. I'm excited to try out the recipe for Maple Parsnip Soup as well as the Shredded Beet Salad (it's amazing to me how just changing the way you cut a vegetable can change the way your taste buds experience it). Over the weekend, I'm planning to make Bounty Rice, which is a sort of deconstructed stuffed cabbage, spiced with oregano and basil. You can find the recipe after the jump. Bounty Rice
from Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind Cathleen Hockman-Wert

1/2-1 pound ground beef or pork*
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup green pepper, chopped
4 cups canned tomatoes
4 cups cabbage, shredded
3 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (I will probably use fresh garlic)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Saute the meat, onions and green peppers in a large skillet until the meat is browned and veggies are softened. Add tomatoes, cabbage, rice and spices and cook until the cabbage is crisp tender. Stir in sour cream. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover until cheese is melted (I plan on making this in an oven-safe pan so that I can pop it into the oven at the last minute and brown up the cheese on top). Serve

*To make this recipe vegetarian, substitute beans or textured vegetable protein for the meat. Make sure to use a little olive oil to make up for the lack of fat.