Sick of sad, wheat-based wraps? Give your lunch (or light dinner) a Meatless Monday makeover by using collard leaves in place of tortillas.
Today, I’m going to introduce you to a magical green leaf that will transform sad wraps into lunchtime bliss: the collard leaf. Broad and crunchy, this green veggie makes the perfect blanket for wrap fillings.
With their ample supply of folate, as well as vitamins A, C, and K, collards can go toe-to-toe with wheat tortillas any day. The only downfall of leaf-based wraps may be that the fillings will inevitably end up on your best work pants (but maybe that’s just me).
Wraps are endlessly customizable, so almost any filling will do. Try various veggies, dips, hummus, nuts, beans, sprouts, and fruit to find a combo that calls to you. In the meantime, enjoy the recipe below, and let us know how your wraps turn out via the comments, Facebook, or Twitter.
Sweet Potato Hummus Collard Wraps
From Matthew Kadey’s “Hearty Winter Greens”
1 lb (450 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups (350 mL) cooked or canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup (60 mL) tahini
3 Tbsp (45 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) orange zest
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp (4 mL) sweet paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) black pepper
8 large collard leaves, preferably at room temperature
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup (250 mL) sliced roasted red pepper
2 cups (500 mL) sprouts or microgreens
Place sweet potato in steamer basket and steam until very tender. Set aside to cool.
Place cooled sweet potato and chickpeas in food processor container and blend together. Add tahini, olive oil, garlic, orange zest, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper; blend until smooth.
To prepare the wraps: Cut off firm white stalks of collards. Fillet off the thickest parts of the remaining stalks that run down the leaves with a sharp knife to make them more pliable. Try not to nick the actual leaf as you do this.
Place 2 collards head to foot (stalks at opposite ends) and partially overlap leaves. Apply a generous amount of sweet potato hummus down the centre lengthwise and then top with some avocado, carrot, roasted red pepper, and sprouts or microgreens. Tightly roll leaves beginning from the bottom, tucking in sides as you go.
Cut in half on a bias to serve. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Serves 4.
Each serving contains: 304 calories; 11 g protein; 16 g total fat (2 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 34 g total carbohydrates (6 g sugars, 10 g fibre); 164 mg sodium
