How to Make Collard Wraps

Collard wraps: an easy, portable lunch!

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Collard wraps are an easy, portable way to get your greens and other veggies. Sometimes, it’s hard to carry a salad for lunch or a snack. Small containers make it necessary to limit the amount of goodies in your salad; you need to carry silverware; you must juggle a salad container, napkin, and fork… not to mention the possibility of spilling your salad dressing!

Wraps can be eaten one-handed, and when rolled well, are clean and efficient edible food packages!

Of course, a burrito or a pita does the same thing. But if you’re limiting or avoiding flour-based carbs and grains, collard greens are an excellent alternative.

The very large leaves hold a significant amount of veggies, while the deep green color is a great sign that you’re getting plenty of vital nutrients, vitamins, and minerals!

It can take some practice to get the wrapping down well. But once you’ve got it, it’s a skill you can hang on to for life

Fill your wraps with whatever you feel like. They can be a great way to use up extra vegetables! I always start mine with a base of something creamy, like my easy cashew cheese. Some other good base layers are:

• Cream cheese
• Tuna, salmon, or chicken salad
• Hummus
• Spinach-and-artichoke dip
• Greek yogurt

Then I top it with a variety of vegetables. Some favorites include:

• Sprouts (learn how to make ‘em!)
• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Cabbage
• Cucumber

Slices of Granny Smith apples or D’Anjou pears can also be delicious!

If you make wraps and have a favorite filling combo, I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

The following recipe is for the wraps shown in the photos here. For an excellent tutorial on preparing and rolling the wraps, check out this YouTube video (not mine but a great resource!).

Step 1: Wash & dry the collard leaves.

Step 2: Carefully slice off the thick portion of the leaves’ spines.

Step 3: Layer your base and other fillings across 2 leaves.

Step 4: Fold the bottom up and the sides in… then continue rolling like a burrito!

How to Make Collard Wraps

Ingredients for 4 wraps:

• 8 large leaves of collard greens
• 1/2 cup easy cashew cheese
• 2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 1/4 head cabbage

Steps

1. Thoroughly wash the collard leaves and pat dry.
2. Wash your veggies and slice thinly or use a julienne peeler to create very thin strips.
3. Cut off the bottom part of the leaf stems.
4. Lay the leaves flat with the thick part of the leaf spine on top (facing the ceiling). Place your knife on top of the leaf horizontally with the blade facing the bottom of the leaf. Gently glide your knife along the leaf spine to shave off the thick portion. You want to shave off enough of the thick spine so your leaf can roll easily, without cracking the spine.
5. Place two collard leaves together, slightly overlapping.
6. Layer on your creamy base and other fillings.
7. Begin to roll the leaves by first rolling the bottom portion upward about an inch. Then, fold in the sides and continue rolling the bottom upward until the entire wrap has been rolled. This might take some practice! Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you make wraps for lunch or snacks?

Are you skilled at wrapping burrito-style?

How to Make Amaranth Flatbread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Amaranth flatbread

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If you’re not yet familiar with the superfood called amaranth, now’s the time to get acquainted. This ancient “pseudograin” is absolutely loaded with nutrition, making it an amazing alternative to wheat and other grains. Like quinoa, which you may have eaten in my Blueberry Quinoa Pancakes, amaranth is not actually a grain (a grass) but a fruit, although its seed can be ground into flour like a grain. Thus, it’s considered a “pseudograin.”

What’s So Great About Amaranth?

It’s said that amaranth contains up to 87% of total human nutrients. Um, add kale and a B12 shot and what else do you need? Seriously!

First of all, it’s high in protein, even higher than quinoa, at 9 grams per cooked cup. It’s also loaded with 5 grams of fiber per cup, and is gluten-free.

Amaranth is full of vital vitamins, minerals and nutrients, including:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Folate
• Calcium
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Copper
• Zinc
• Manganese
• Vitamin B6
• Riboflavin

As if its nutritional profile weren’t enticing enough, consider that the ancient Aztecs in Mexico used amaranth to create images of their gods ~ it was THAT revered. I figure, if any food was considered amazing by ancient peoples, I wanna try it, too.

Amaranth flatbread with marinara sauce and goat cheese

Cooking Amaranth

When cooked with water in a 1:2 ratio, amaranth turns into a kind of porridge. I personally don’t like the texture, nor does my honey, but we were so enamored of its nutritional value that we decided to try something else with it.

Cooked amaranth

After a bit of online searching, I discovered this recipe for Baked Amaranth Meal Cracker Flatbread, which required making the “porridge” first, spreading the amaranth on a baking sheet, and baking it. We wanted more of a thicker flatbread, though, not a cracker. After several tries, we finally were able to get the timing right and not burn it to a crisp.

While the baking method worked all right, we did find that the edges came out a bit too crunchy and the center too gooey. (Of course, that might have something to do with my old baking sheets!)

Oven-baked amaranth

So, our next experiment was using the dehydrator. We set it low, to somewhere between 105-115F, and let it run for about 10 hours. And I’m happy to share that OMG IT WORKED PERFECTLY!

If you don’t have a dehydrator, you could try using your oven set to a very low degree (135F or so). If you do have a dehydrator, this method has worked perfectly for us. We now make a “loaf” every week or so, which we eat like any other flatbread with nut butters, hummus, goat cheese, chutneys, and other toppings.

It’s easy to spice this up (literally) by adding herbs and seasonings to the goo before you bake/dehydrate it. We’ve tried a few different ones but keep coming back to simple old sea salt and cracked black pepper. If you try the recipe and come up with something new, I’d love to hear what you did!

Amaranth flatbread

Amaranth Flatbread (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry amaranth
• 6 cups water
• olive oil or coconut oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• other dried or fresh herbs and seasonings (optional)

Steps

1. Add the amaranth and water to a large pot on the stove. Cover and bring the pot to a rolling boil.
2. Turn the stove to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Stir the amaranth thoroughly. If you are adding herbs or seasonings, you can add them now.
4. Allow the amaranth to cool completely, at least 1 hour or more.
5. Cut strips of parchment paper to the shape of your dehydrator sheets and place the papers on the sheets. If you are using the oven, cut to the shape of your baking sheets.
6. Brush the parchment paper with the oil. This will help prevent sticking and will also add flavor.
7. Spread the amaranth on the parchment, making it as even as possible. If you’re using a baking sheet with raised edges, that can help form the shape. Sprinkle on sea salt and pepper to taste.
8. Dehydrate at 105-115F for about 10 hours. Check in on the bread often to make sure its the crispiness you desire. I personally like it softer, but if you want more of a cracker, dehydrate for longer or at a higher temperature. Same goes for the oven method.
9. Allow to cool. Slice with a pizza cutter to the shape and size you want. Spread with the toppings of your choice. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Have you ever tried amaranth?

What’s your favorite topping for a flatbread?

No-Sugar-Added Mini Banana Cookie Bites (Gluten-Free)

No-Sugar-Added Mini Banana Cookie Bites

To see all recipes, scroll to the top and click on Recipes or just click here!

Happy Easter / Passover / Ostara! Whatever it is you’re celebrating, even if it’s nothing, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’ve got a day off, which I’m going to spend checking out the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young Museum and riding my bike around the city with my honey.

As for baking and cooking, well, I have to admit that these cookies are already gone. Gone! They were delicious, easy, and very nibble-able.

I figure, sometimes you just want a bite of something sweet. A taste. A smidgen of sweet with a cup of tea and you’re good.

That’s why I decided to make these cookies miniature! Soft, light, and good for you. They’re the perfect healthy sweet treat.

There’s no sugar added, just a bit of stevia, and they’re very low in calories. They’re also high in fiber and potassium, making them a great little recovery cookie before bedtime, at the end of an active day.

No-Sugar-Added Mini Banana Cookie Bites

These cookies were inspired in part by What Runs Lori’s Refreshing Lemon Blueberry Coconut Flour Cookies, but I did make quite a few changes.

I kept the coconut flour, but left out the blueberries, for one thing. I also used way less lemon and used granulated stevia instead of honey. Coconut flour can get a little dense, which is why I used two eggs ~ and the ripe banana added enough texture to make these soft and delicious.

You could, of course, make these cookies large! But I love them as a mini, bite-size treat.

They’d also be good with a small amount of chopped nuts or some nutmeg. If you play around with ‘em, I’d love to hear what you did!

No-Sugar-Added Mini Banana Cookie Bites

Mini Banana Cookie Bites (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw coconut flour (I used Coconut Secret)
• 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. granulated stevia
• 2 eggs
• juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 large ripe banana, mashed

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a small bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, lemon juice, and banana.
4. Stir in the dry mix by hand until just combined.
5. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper.
6. Spoon the batter, roll into 1″ balls, and lay on the baking sheet. Press each ball gently with the back of a spoon to flatten.
7. Bake about 18-20 minutes, until dried on top and light brown on bottom.
8. Cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you like bananas?

Do you like to have a treat before bed?

No-Sugar-Added Apple Tartlets

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Made with a whole wheat crust and with no sugar in the filling, these 5-inch apple tarts are the perfect, healthy dessert. They’re filling enough to share, but delicious enough to be indulgent without completely going overboard.

They’re perfectly sweet as-is, and they’re hearty enough to eat for breakfast! Ahem.

I made two 5-inch tartlets, but if you could also make one large tart. An 8″ or 9″ pie pan could work well, too!

The dough recipe below makes enough for 4, 5-inch tarts. If you only are making 2 tarts, you can freeze the extra dough for future baking.

You can also easily make this recipe vegan or gluten-free!

To make the tartlets vegan:

• Replace the butter with Earth Balance (or other vegan substitute)
• Replace the egg with Ener-G egg replacer 

To make it gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour of your choice. Garbanzo flour would probably work well for the consistency needed in this crust.

No-Sugar-Added Apple Tartlets

Crust Ingredients (makes 4, 5-inch crusts)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. stevia
• 1 3/4 sticks butter
• 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1/2 large egg (whisk first then separate half)
• 1/2 cup ice water

Filling ingredients (makes 2, 5-inch fillings)

•  2 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced very thin
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon (optional)

Steps

1. Combine the flour, salt, and stevia in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Whisk the vinegar and egg together. Mix the liquid into the flour mixture with your hands until just combined. Add the water 1 Tbsp. at a time until the dough sticks together in a mound. Press together firmly.
3. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Shape each into a disk and wrap in plastic. Chill 2 disks for at least 1 hour to overnight. Freeze the extras for up to 3 months.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Press the dough firmly into the bottoms and sides of two 5″ tart pans.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 400F.
7. Reduce the temperature to 375F.
8. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the applesauce and lemon juice. Add the cinnamon if desired. Reserve 8-10 slices for decoration.Transfer to a medium skillet and cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the apples have softened.
9. Fill the crusts with the applesauce mixture, then place the remaining apple slices on top.
10. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes.
11. Cool completely. Serve with ice cream or soft-serve bananas. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you like to share desserts?

Do you enjoy mini-desserts or would you rather have a slice from a large pie?

Blueberry Quinoa Protein Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

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Quinoa Protein Pancakes

Quinoa is very popular around here! We use this pseudograin in stir-fries, salads, soups, and much more… including baking!

It’s not actually a grain but what’s considered a pseudograin, since it’s not actually a grass but its seeds can be ground into flour, like wheat.

When we cook quinoa for dinner, I like to make “planned-overs” so I have some extra for healthy pancakes that I can snack on throughout the week. Pancakes are easy, fast, and super-duper versatile. You can pretty much make a pancake out of anything. I like to make mine high-protein so they’re a good post-running snack. I’ll make a batch of 12 or so, then pop one in the toaster oven to reheat whenever I want a healthy, protein- and fiber-filled treat.

Quinoa protein pancakes

I have at least a dozen “recipes,” but often get very creative based on this simple plan:

• I usually start with a foundation of a grain or pseudograin, such as cooked quinoa, brown rice, or millet.
• If I don’t have any leftover cooked grains, I’ll use a blend of (usually gluten-free) flours. Good ones to try are garbanzo flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, and amaranth flour.
• Then I add eggs ~ although you can use egg replacer to make them vegan!
• If you eat dairy, you can add some cottage cheese, too.
• Then I add some protein powder, either Vega One or hemp or brown rice protein powder.
• I add some chia seeds and/or flaxseed meal.
• Then I add whatever fruit I have lying around: usually blueberries, but sometimes apples or bananas.
• I blend it all up, adding water, coconut milk, or rice milk as needed to get the right consistency.
• Then cook ‘em up in a little oil and chow down!

Quinoa protein pancakes

This recipe is for 12 of the the pancakes pictured here, but it’s easy to get creative! Make whatever substitutions you need or want, and enjoy!

Blueberry Quinoa Protein Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 egg
• 6 egg whites
• 2-3 scoops Vega One vanilla chai flavored nutritional shake powder
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1 Tbsp. coconut or other vegetable oil

Steps

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding water or rice milk, as needed.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add a Tbsp. of coconut oil.
4. Pour the batter into the skillet, forming 4-6 pancake rounds.
5. When the edges of the pancakes start to turn brown, flip them with a spatula and cook for the same amount of time on the other side.
6. Allow to cool slightly before eating. Serve with butter, Earth Balance, nut butter, maple syrup, or the topping of your choice. Enjoy!

Adjust the recipe as necessary for your needs and tastes. You can determine the nutritional content of your final product using Recipe Calculator.

Do you cook with quinoa?

What’s your favorite grain or pseudograin?