I think at this point we’ve all heard about the vegan raw food movement. The idea behind it being that no food should be heated above 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) to limit the loss of nutritional value. I feel it’s safe to say that the average person isn’t exactly thrilled by this type of cuisine (anyone remember the Sex and the City group outing to the raw food restaurant and their facial expressions after tasting such food)?
Even though I do consider myself open to new foods and cuisines I’m not particularly eager to take cold wheatgrass asparagus shots either. Yet when I found this raw vegan collard wraps recipe online I quickly put it on my short list. And I was blown away. I made this over the weekend while I was visiting my parents and we all loved this (mom thought the cumin taste was a little strong so I want to experiment with minced ginger and garlic instead). Really though this makes for a great healthy mid afternoon snack or even lunch. Perfect for the summer months when it’s too hot to even think about going near the stove. And to get that perfect cut on the collard wraps you’ve got to use the Japanese made Global Knives. I first found out about them through the catering company I worked at since that’s all we used and after falling in love with them there, gave my mom one for Christmas.
Who could have guessed that pecans and soy sauce make a great pair?
The raw vegan movement – with a recipe like this – not bad, not bad at all.
Helpful kitchen tools for this recipe:
- • Global G-2 – 8 inch, 20cm Chef’s Knife
– you won’t get a better/smoother cut
- 4 large collard leaves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 avocado
- 2-3 ounces alfalfa sprouts
- ½ lime
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1 tablespoon tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (or ½ teaspoon minced garlic and ½ teaspoon grated ginger)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- To prepare collard leaves wash leaves, cut off white stem at the bottom that has no leaves and place them in a bath of warm water with juice of half a lemon. Let soak for 10 minutes. Dry the leaves off with paper towels and using a knife thinly slice down the central root (to make it easier to bend the leaves for wrapping).
- Slice avocado and pepper.
- In a food processor combine pecans, tamari, cumin (or garlic ginger mix) and olive oil. Pulse until combined and mixture clumps together.
- Place a collard leaf in front of you and layer nut mix, red pepper slices, avocado slices, a drizzle of lime juice and alfalfa sprouts. Fold over the top and bottom and then wrap up the sides. Slice in half and serve.
Welcome to Avocado Pesto! Long time foodie and travel enthusiast, I started this blog to share my curious culinary efforts and kitchen endeavors. Here you'll find a smorgasbord of ethnic cuisines and hopefully a few humorous tales too.
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{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Your photos are looking awesome!
Thanks! I’ve been trying so hard! And been trying to learn lightroom!
Love your spin on it, and your photos! Thanks for linking back to my blog
I totally missed the part about soaking the leaves in lemon water…just raced right through the photos on the Honest Fare post without actually reading – I’m so impatient. Did the lemon water help?
I think so – I think it helped soften the leaves up a little bit. Totally know what you mean about racing through recipes/photos – I do that all the time and add ingredients the wrong way or at the wrong time!
This looks great, and I love the idea of the wrap being just as nutritional as the filling. I’m not a cooked collard fan though, wondering how this will taste. Does the soaking in lemon water also change the flavor? I know acid on cabbage reduces the bitterness.
Thanks! I’m not sure how much the lemon water changes the flavor but I didn’t find the collard greens to be bitter in the wraps. Not a huge fan of cooked collard myself I think the raw collard tastes significantly better.
Thanks! I’ll definitely have to try this. Love that you posted an actual recipe and not a “throw whatever you like in it!”
Makes me happy.
Let me know how you like it! I’m planning on making your black bean soup soon!
these blow my mind; they look so good! i’m not super huge on the “raw” movement either, but some of those recipes are still quite delicious!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and it’s given me a chance to find out about yours! I love the title shot, so gorgeous — and I’m salivating already so that’s gotta be a good sign!
Thanks for stopping by mine as well! If you try a recipe let me know how it goes!
This looks great! I think collard wraps are the most versatile and delicious raw food meals. Love the almond addition for some bulk!
It must be all the great vegan food available that the number of vegans has doubled in the US in less than 3 years. Here are two uplifting videos to help everyone understand why so many people are making this life affirming choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKr4HZ7ukSE and http://www.veganvideo.org
I love wraps! Even more if they are as healthy as yours. I need to try them, I really do
Pictures look beautiful!
Thanks! These really were surprisingly (since they’re vegan and raw food) delicious!
I have come here through Kitchen Artistry, these Rolls sound awesome and love your clicks…
-Mythreyi
Yum! Yum! Yum!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!
I love the way these look, and I am a big fan of trying good new food. Trying to eat health can get boring at times, so recipes like this one really helps to keep things interesting. Also a perfect way to eat more darker leafy greens.
Alessandra recently posted..Grill Fired Up Pizza
Thanks! I was very surprised how delicious these wraps were considering they’re both vegan and raw!
Ooo this really does look like the perfect summer lunch! And I’ve been wanting to try collard wraps for awhile now! Thanks, I can’t wait to try these out!:))
Kylie @ immaeatthat recently posted..Never have I ever…
Let me know how you like them! I’ve only made them with the cumin before but if you’re not a fan of cumin do try with garlic and ginger – I think that should be a good combination as well!
I used this recipe for my Raw Food week and it was actually the first meal I enjoyed during this week…
So, thank you.
Judith Kroon recently posted..Dag 3: ‘Wraps’
Ahh thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed these! These really do make raw food seem not so bad!
I wil be trying your recipe for Superbowl Sunday, I am so excited to see how they are received and how they taste. The picture truly tugged at my stomach strings it was love at first site. Thanks for sharing, I hope to take pictures and keep you posted on the results. Take care!
Best of luck! Hope you enjoy the recipe and do let me know how it turns out!!!
Hi there,
I was just wondering if you took those pictures yourself? The food looks so tasty!
Yep all the photos on the blog I take myself! Thanks!
I am eager to try this filling – when I use collards for wraps, I use scissors to snip the stem level to the leaf. I start from the center of the leaf toward the wide end on the lighter colored underside which ends up on the inside. I also rub the inside of the leaf with a cut lemon for flavor, but will try this next time to see if they wrap better.
Let me know if they wrap better this way or if your method is better! Hope you enjoy these!
I just made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious! I’m a vegetarian and so of course, I eat a lot of veggies and veggie wraps, and I think this was a great recipe to mix it up a little since it’s quite unique. The nut spread turned out great! Thanks!
Thanks so much! I love these wraps too!
Trying this recipe tonight! Would walnuts be a good substitute for pecans?
I think pecans would make a more flavorful filling but I imagine walnuts should work fine too! Do let me know how it comes out with the walnuts!
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