As a Natural Foods Chef, I recommend that my clients avoid gluten for optimal health. The next question is always: “well…what can I have for lunch?”. Lets face it- in our busy New York lives, it is not always easy, or convenient, to construct elaborate gluten-free entrees for an afternoon fix. As a result, we often turn to sandwich bread -or some other glutinous vessel- as a time and cost-effective vehicle for our proteins and veggies at our mid-day manga. While the convenience of a quick sammy is unmistakable, so are the health implications of pro-inflammatory and processed gluten products. “What about gluten free bread and wraps?” is an obvious next question. Well…maybe sometimes… in a pinch…. But remember- gluten free products are usually highly processed, devoid of nutrients and have a similar (if not more extreme) blood sugar spiking effect to their glutinous counterparts (though there are a few exceptions). Here is what I say…how about we nix the bread thing all together! Lets create a nutritious and delicious vessel to carry and compliment our beautiful yogurt-based chicken salads and other brilliant “sandwich” ideas! For myself, my family and all of my clients- I use braised collard wraps to encase all of my creative sandwich inventions and I have received nothing but rave reviews on this bold and brazen bread substitute. Please trust.
What you will need:
1 bunch of collard greens
A medium pot of water
A paring knife
A bowl with ice water
Sandwich or wrap ingredients
Directions:
1. Add a pinch of sea salt to a medium pot of water and bring to boil.
2. Meanwhile…wash the collard greens and remove the stems at the base of the leaves. Do not remove the central vein (we will remove these later).
3. Prepare an ice bath in a bowl in your sink.
4. Once the water has reached a boil, put the bunch of collard leaves in the pot and blanch for about 30 seconds or until tender. We want them to keep their bright green color so don’t keep them in the boil for too long. Remove the leave from the boiling water with tongs or a spoon and plunge into the prepared ice bath.
5. Once the leaves have cooled in the ice bath, allow the leaves to dry or blot them with paper towels.
6. One at a time, lay your collard leaves out on a cutting board or flat work surface with the veiny underside facing up. With a paring knife, carefully run your blade down the central vein and shave off any part of the vein that is protruding from the leaf (try not to make any holes in the leaf). In other words: slice through the vein long ways as if cutting a half-pipe from a full cylinder. Removing some of the central vein will allow for an easy roll-up.
7. Once you have completed this process for all of your leaves, get ready to stuff and wrap. The rest is like stuffing a green burrito (ooh, that just gave me a great idea!). Lay your favorite sandwich ingredients and condiments in a nice pile in the middle of the wrap, fold the sides over the goodies and roll the wrap from the bottom to the top.