Lentil Falafel Collard Green Wraps

Lentil Falafel Collard Green Wraps

It’s official: collard greens have won my heart and I’ll shout it from the rooftops. These deeply nutritious, perfectly pliable and versatile green beauties are the perfect replacement for bread in the sandwich department. Let’s break down the benefits: collard greens are packed with Vitamin K, boosting your bone health-so forget the milk ads, start munching on some greens. Collard greens are also loaded with skin and hair healthy Vitamin A; don’t you feel more luminous already? Let’s not forget about the importance of proper digestion; it is so important to keep things moving along smoothly and these greens have both a high fiber and water content to promote optimal digestion.

Clearly something about the freshness of collard greens has inspired me to dine al fresco every time I create a collard wrap spread. My favorite way to serve collard wraps is in a DIY setting. Set the table with all of the toppings and the collard greens, and let everyone roll their own sandwich. Below are some recipes to make delicious and beautiful lentil falafel wraps.

FALAFEL WRAPS

Preparing the collard greens (optional) 

Some people advise to cut out the thick rib in the center of the collard green; this definitely makes the collards easier to roll up-but I’ve also managed without taking this extra step. To trim down this stem, simply cut down the center rib with a knife (carefully, of course!) until the stem is about as flat as the rest of the leaf.

LENTIL FALAFELS 

*Recipe via TheKitchn.com

1 cup red lentils
2 cups italian parsley leaves
2 cups cilantro leaves
1 red onion
5 garlic cloves
1-2 serrano peppers (can sub with jalapeño peppers)
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-3 tablespoons chickpea flour (can sub with an all purpose flour if you can digest gluten)

Prep

Soak the lentils for a few hours or overnight, then rinse them clean. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Making the Falafels 

In a food processor, pulse the lentils around 5 times until ground. Next, add the cilantro, parsley, jalapeños, garlic, and onion. Finally, pour in the olive oil, tahini paste, spices, salt and pepper and combine until almost smooth (but not completely smooth). Next, add the baking soda and then the 1-3 tablespoons chickpea flour little by little; if the mixture seems too ‘liquidy’ after one tablespoon, add more, but do not exceed 3 tablespoons as the falafels will end up being super hard after baking. Refrigerate the mixture for 15-30 minutes and then form them into balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. I shaped mine more so into patties than perfect balls, this is up to you! Bake for 18-20 minutes.

DAIRY-FREE TZATZIKI 

2 cups of dairy free yogurt
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup of chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped mint
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate before serving!