Name: Vegan Collard Wraps
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 medium sweet potato; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 teaspoon cumin; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground pepper; 6-8 large collard leaves; 1 medium red bell pepper; 2 cups cooked quinoa; 1 cup cooked black beans; 3 tablespoons tahini; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 -3 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 teaspoon lemon zest; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon ground pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil

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These refreshing Vegan Collard Wraps are gluten-free and are perfect to pack for a hot summer day. It’s also filled with colorful and nutritious veggies that are packed with fiber and protein.

Health benefits of Collard Greens:

Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamin A and C
They are a rich source of vitamin K and calcium
It is a good source of iron
Collard greens are found to have plenty of vitamin B-6
They also contain thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and choline
It has the capacity to lower blood cholesterol levels
Collard greens are listed as part of the cruciferous plants, thus have cancer-preventive properties

Tips and Variations:

The smaller the collard greens, the more tender, fresh-tasting, and are less likely to be bitter.
When blanching collard greens, be conscious of the time. Blanching should not be more than 3 minutes. When the leaves turn dark green, then it should be taken out of the water.
Before assembling your Vegan collard wraps, always make sure you have taken off the hard, woody stem behind each leaf. It wouldn’t be fun to bite 🙂
If you have herbs on hand like fresh basil, cilantro, and the likes, you can finely chop and add into the mixture of the vegan collard wraps.
Ran out of beans for the vegan collard wraps? You can use chickpeas instead. It would be a delicious substitute.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Baking the Sweet Potato:

medium sweet potato
olive oil
cumin
salt
ground pepper

Preparing the Collard Leaves:

collard leaves
red bell pepper

How to Make the Quinoa Mixture:

cooked quinoa
cooked black beans
tahini
olive oil
lemon juice
lemon zest
salt
ground pepper
olive oil

How to Make Vegan Collard Wraps:

Baking the Sweet Potatoes:

Preheat oven to 375°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

In a bowl, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, cumin, salt, and ground pepper. Spread on a baking sheet so the slices are not touching and bake for 15-20 minutes until soft but slightly crispy on the corners:

How to Prepare the Collard Greens:

Over medium-high heat, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Set out a large bowl of ice water and place a strainer in the sink. Lay one collard green leaf out flat on a cutting board with the view side up. Cut off the stem at the base of the broad part of the leaf:

Holding the knife flat to the leaf, slice off the bulbous part of the stem so that it lays flat. Repeat with remaining leaves:

Once the water becomes a rolling boil, remove from the heat, then add collard leaf, and blanche for 15 seconds. Dump water and collard leaves in the strainer, then collard leaves to ice water and leaves until greens are cooled. Drain and dry leaves.

How to Make the Quinoa Mixture:

In a bowl, mix together quinoa, black beans, tahini, lemon juice and zest, salt, ground pepper, and olive oil.

How to Make the Wraps:

Lay one blanched collard leaf on a work surface. Place 1/3 – ½ cup (depending on size of the leaf) of quinoa mixture along the center vein of the leaf. Place 2-3 pieces each of red pepper and sweet potato along the quinoa mixture:

Fold the base end and tip of the collard leaf over the mixture:

Fold over one side and roll towards the other edge. Repeat with remaining filling and leaves:

Best served fresh!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can you make vegan collard wraps ahead?

A: Yes, you can make them ahead. Just make sure to store it properly and place it in the chiller.

Q: What do collard greens taste like?

A: Collard greens have a slightly bitter taste, slightly less bitter than kale.

Q: How do you select collards?

A: When you buy collard greens from the supermarket, choose those that have smooth, green, and firm leaves. The smaller the collard green leaves, the less it is likely to be bitter. Smaller leaves are also tender and have a fresher taste than big ones. Always choose collard greens that are fresh and are not wilted, since wilting is a sign that it has a bitter taste.

Q: Do you need to blanch collard greens or can you be eaten raw?

A: Yes, collard greens need to be blanched before using or before freezing them.

Q: I love the collard wraps, but mine went soggy after a day. What should I do to prevent that?

A: Always choose fresh leaves of collard greens. The younger, tender leaves you use, the less they become soggy after wrapping up.

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