This fun, healthy recipe has plenty of opportunity for creativity. In fact, assembling these wraps was equally as fulfilling as eating them! Collard greens provide a low glycemic alternative to tortilla wraps and pack plenty of nutrients including vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, fiber, calcium and iron. Hummus and quinoa provide plant-based protein sources which balance carbohydrate intake and help maintain blood sugar levels. Leave a comment letting me know what colorful fruits and vegetables you would include!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of collard greens
- 2 cups cooked quinoa or couscous (cooled)
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 small mango, chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- hummus to spread (try my Garlic Turmeric Hummus)
How to:
- Cook the quinoa the day before to save time (I make a huge batch and store in fridge up to 5 days). If you haven’t cooked quinoa before, it is the same deal as rice. If you haven’t cooked rice before, well, Google it.
- Trim the thick stems off the collards, even carrying on up past where the leaf begins making an incision in the leaf surrounding the base of the stem (see picture below).
- Blanch collards to remove bitterness: plunk each leaf in boiling water for 10-15 seconds and place directly into cold water to cool off. Pat dry and lay on flat surface to begin packing your wraps.
- Spread hummus down center of wrap length-wise.
- Place quinoa spoonfuls on top of the hummus.
- Add avocado, mango and tomato (this may take some experimenting to determine how much filling can fit in your collard leaves).
- Roll and fold wraps by bringing the two widths together first and then tucking in the two length edges. I discovered hummus makes a great glue to keep the wraps from falling apart. Toothpicks may help as well.
- Serve and/or store in containers in the fridge for lunches.
PCOS Powers:
- collard greens = anti-inflammatory, high in iron and calcium, may help lower total cholesterol more than other cruciferous vegetables esp. when steamed
- avocados = anti-inflammatory, low glycemic index, high in fiber, may help lower LDL “bad” cholesterol and maintain normal serum total cholesterol levels, contain glutathione which has anti-carcinogenic properties and may boost immunity
- tomatoes = high in chromium and lycopene which can help manage insulin resistance
- turmeric = anti-inflammatory, helps lower blood glucose levels
- garlic = helps lower cholesterol, an antibiotic, & blood cleanser which relaxes blood vessels for easier blood flow
References:
- Kahlon TS, Chiu MM, Chapman MH. Steam cooking significantly improves in vitro bile acid binding of collard greens, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, green bell pepper, and cabbage. Nutrition Research. 2008;28:351-357.
- Dreher ML, Davenport AJ. Hass avocado composition and potential health effects. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 2013;53:738.
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These are a fabulous idea! I love veggie wraps but have totally never thought to wrap them in collard greens!
Totally! They work surprisingly well if boiled to make them more malleable and less bitter 🙂 Thanks for popping by.
Those look so pretty! I saw collard greens in one of the shops along Commercial Drive (where I live in Vancouver) for the first time a few weeks ago.
Hello Teresa, fellow Vancouverite! Collards are pretty rare to see in meals but such a great tortilla replacement. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
A nice alternative to a bread wrap! Will be great for those new year resolutions 🙂
Haha, indeed. Are you a new years’ resolutioner?
Love this as an alternative to tortilla wraps! Looks delicious, I’ll have to try this recipe one day!
Thanks Talia! Would love to hear about it when you get the chance to try them. 🙂
I sure do love a collard wrap – these look great, you’ve inspired me to pick up some collards this weekend!
Wonderful! Did you end up trying out this recipe? 🙂
Gotta say, these not only look incredible (seriously, those cut pieces are stunning, and I’m really impressed with how well the collard greens hold up), but they also sound like they’re very tasty. I tend to be a little back-and-forth on quinoa, but I’ve had it with many of the ingredients you’ve used here and they seem bang-on. The mango especially seems great. I’ve got a ton of collard green seeds (my garden greens bolted on me last summer, so I figured I’d roll with it), so I’m hoping to have more collard than I know what to do with later this year. Fingers crossed!
Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment! As far as the quinoa, I used couscous in these as well and that is a very nice and fluffy substitute. I am a sucker for the nutritional properties of quinoa :P. I look forward to see what kind of recipes you create with your collard stash!
These are so beautiful, and creative! Cant wait to pick up some collard greens and give these a try!
Wonderful! I would love to see them or hear how they go once you try them. 🙂
These look amazing. I love everything about wraps, except the wrap. Doughy wheat tortillas are a turn off for me. This is a fab idea that I can’t wait to try. Great job.
Thank you so much! I agree, the idea of biting into a variety of veggies all neatly bound up is much more appealing than the less nutritious, often gluten-filled tortillas for me!
These look delicious. I like the idea of using hummus. I might try adding some colourful peppers 🙂
Thanks! Peppers are an awesome idea, too. The beauty of these is you can add anything you’d like ?.