I’ll be honest: many meals that I’ve made come after staring into my fridge and pantry with the question “How do I use what I have to make a meal?” It’s like a Top Chef Quickfire Challenge, but with no timers, judges, or other chefs around. So… nothing like it.
But! You understand what I mean. I’ve got to take what’s there and make something satisfying and healthy. No running to the market, no giving up and calling for take out.
This week a bundle of collards were sitting in my fridge, waiting to be used. It’s been a little on the warm side for soup here (I know, #californiaproblems) so I settled on using the greens as a wrap.
The great win win win of collard wraps are many: Less carbs than a flour tortilla, more vegetables, more nutrients, less calories… Look for large circular leaves rather than narrower rectangular ones and you can have a wrap that’s more substantial.
Ingredients
- 6-8 large collard leaves
- 1 medium/large beet
- 1-2 small sweet potatoes
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 cup of cooked brown rice
- 2 small carrots, shredded
- 3-4 tbsp miso
- 4-5 tbsp plain non-fat yogurt
- nuts, to add crunch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 475. Wash and trim beets. On a large sheet of foil, drizzle olive oil and salt over the beets. Wrap the beets in the foil and roast for 60 minutes. Once done, let cool for 20 minutes. Peel skin and dice.
Lower the oven to 375. Cover a baking sheet in foil. Dice sweet potatoes (I left the skin on) and spread on baking sheet in an even layer. Drizzle olive oil, salt, and paprika over potatoes and roast for 15-20 minutes.
Combine sweet potatoes, beets, and cooked rice into a bowl.
In a smaller bowl, combine miso and yogurt. Stir until miso is dissolved. By the spoonful, add the miso yogurt mixture into the vegetable rice mixture until the rice and vegetables are evenly coated. The amount is up to how wet or dry you would like the mixture to be.
Wash collard leaves and trim excess stalk. Carefully shave the center stalk down with a knife so it's easier to roll them later.
In a stock pot, bring about 3-4 inches of salted water to a boil. Add the leaves and let them cook for 5 minutes, covered. Once done, shake off any excess water and place the leaves on paper towels and pat dry.
To assemble the wraps, place a handful of shredded carrots down, followed by the vegetable rice mixture. Top with some nuts of your choice (I used walnuts). Be careful not to over pack the wrap. Fold in the sides first then roll from bottom to top, like a burrito.
Serve immediately, or wrap each roll in saran wrap and refrigerate. Best served warm.