Collard Wraps

This easy lunch has quickly become a family favorite. It doesn't even need a recipe really. It can be varied with whatever veggies and greens are in season. But here are a few hints for newbies to raw recipes so that it still tastes just as yummy every time with slight variations no matter what you use.

The necessary ingredients:

-Collard leaves. 1 big one per wrap.

-Your favorite Hummus. I used the Meza brand from Costco for this one because it's cheaper to buy in bulk, but at the Good Earth store there's also a yummy one called Lilly's smoked Tomato and Basil Hummus that I use from time to time.

- 3-4 slices of avocado

Filler Ingredients (Get creative with these and change them up, but here is what I used today):

-Cherry tomatoes sliced in threes

-Diced bell pepper (better source of vitamin C than oranges)

-Clover sprouts (great source of vitamin K for pregnant women)

-Radish sprouts

-Celery (chopped)

-tiny bit of Spinach or other green of your choice

-Cucumber

-One sliced Pickle

-diced onion

-a tiny bit of minced fresh garlic (great for winter sore throats)

-a sprinkle of lemon (optional)

Take your collard leaf and rinse off. Spread a spoonful or two of hummus and lay avocado slices in them. This gives your wrap a nice burrito-like filling. Then pile in the filler ingredients the best way you can and roll up the collard leaf to make a quick wrap. You don't need much of each filler ingredient. Just a small amount will fill the wrap quickly. Or you could pick just a few veggies and keep it simple if you want more of a certain filler ingredient. Sprinkle with a little lemon if you want and that "wraps" it up. There's no way to do this wrong. And if you don't want extra greens, no worries. Your wrap itself is already made up of dark leafy green. It's a collard leaf. High source of protein. Then eat away.

Trust me, you'll want another wrap after this one is gone. This recipe is a great way to take any leftover tossed salad that didn't get finished and stuff it into a savory treat. I usually make salads out of the filler ingredients anyways and so when I do have leftovers, I just make wraps and then you can avoid having to think too hard to make anything else. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Quinoa Salad Wraps

This is adapted from a recipe I found on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (red works nicely, but I'm sure any color would do.)
• 2 cups water
• pinch salt (best if not regular iodized salt)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 green onions, chopped
• *1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine lettuce hearts
• cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts, be creative!

Directions

1. Bring quinoa, water and salt to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan. Cover and turn heat to med-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is gone. Remove from heat (not doing this can have disastrous consequences. I know.).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green aonions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3. Add quinoa and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

For wraps, spoon some of this into romaine hearts and add some cucumbers, tomatoes and alfalfa sprouts. This is flexible. If you have vegan cheese, sour cream, and tortillas, they make great tacos. They're messy and delish. Hot sauce is good if you like that as well.

* I actually used three different kinds of peppers. Use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.