Collard Green Wraps
Collard Greens are truly nutritional goldmine. They are in the same family as kale, mustard greens, and other hearty greens. The leaves are dark green and the stems are tough. When buying collard greens look for leaves that are not wilted and without any discoloration.
There are so many studies suggesting, that greens from cruciferous vegetable family can play an important role in increasing your health. Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin B-6.
They help with digestion and liver function. People who eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables have a lower risk of developing different types of cancer, they help with better sleep and mood, and also keep our skin and hair healthy. Another great benefit , these leaves are very low in calories and contain no cholesterol.
There are different ways of using this wonderful greens in your diet. You can use them raw in salads, you can braise, boil (less than 10 minutes to maintain their nutritional value), sauté them, add them to your soups or sauces or use them on sandwiches or wraps.
In this recipe I used collard greens with Chickpea Avocado Salad, but you can use any salad of your choice. It’s great with shrimp salad, egg salad or chicken salad.
I usually make a salad first and when it’s ready, I prepare leaves. There are few steps to make the leaves a little softer and give them a little bit of flavor.
After you wash leaves in cold water, cut the thick stems that run down the center of the leaves. Doing so makes the leaves easier to bite and more flexible to fold as a wrap. Next, place them in a big pot with boiling, salted water and cook them for about a minute. As soon as they change color to bright green, remove them and submerge in ice bath (water should also be salted and I add a little bit of apple cider vinegar). This process stops cooking and it will maintain beautiful, bright color. Salt and vinegar will season leaves, so they will nicely pair with a salad.
After you dry the leaves , place 1/4 cup salad in the middle of leave and wrap it.
Chickpea Avocado Salad with Tahini Dressing
1 15oz can chickpeas
1 cup shredded carrots
1 avocado cut into small pieces
I cup cucumber cut into small pieces
1/2 medium size onion, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
Note: I used pickled onions and peppers
Tahini Dressing
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp honey or maple syrup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Note: If the dressing is too thick, add cold water and whisk again. The dressing should be creamy. Taste it and add more salt if needed.
pepper to taste
