Here’s a fun way to eat your greens! Roll julienned vegetables in a strip of collard green with an almond dipping sauce. Completely, raw, vegan, and paleo this is something that everyone at a potluck should be able to enjoy. Collard wraps can also be wrapped more like a burrito, but I found this way much easier! Soak the collards for about an hour in a mixture of water and vinegar. This helps soften them and reduce bitterness. While the collards are soaking, also soak 1 cup of sliced almonds in about 2 cups of water.
While the collards and almonds are soaking, julienne a mixture of vegetables to equal 2 cups. I used beets, carrots, and turnips. Other veggies that would work great are watermelon radish, cucumber, sweet peppers, radishes, and summer squash.
After one hour, drain almonds and combine in a food processor with the remaining sauce ingredients. This sauce is on the thick side, you can add water to help with processing or to thin.
Remove collards from water/vinegar bath. Carefully pat dry. Remove stems, and cut into strips lengthwise that are a little thinner than the vegetable sticks. Lay a small handful of mixed veggies on one end and roll up. Place seam side down on a platter. Serve or cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
Raw Collard Green Wraps with Almond Sauce
1/2 bunch of collard greens (from our CSA Share boxes the bunches are large, for smaller bunches use the whole bunch)
4 – 8 cups water
1/4 – 1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups julienned mixed vegetables (beet, carrot, cucumber, sweet peppers, turnips, radishes, etc)
Almond Dressing
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin
juice from half a lemon
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons water
Soak collard greens in water/vinegar bath. Lay collards in a large pan. Add water and vinegar, 4 cups of water to 1/4 cup vinegar until collards are submerged. Soak one hour.
Soak almonds in 2 cups water for one hour.
While almonds and greens are soaking, julienne veggies.
Make dressing. Drain almonds and combine dressing ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Remove collards from water/vinegar bath. Pat dry, remove stem, slice lengthwise into strips. Lay a handful of veggies across collard strip, roll up and place seam side down on a platter. Continue for rest of veggies. Serve with almond sauce.
Variations. Sub different nuts or seeds for sauce. Serve wraps with any spread like pesto or hummus.
salt + pepper to taste
