Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps

Ever have one of those days where you eat nothing but bread, cheese, beer and more bread?

A bagel for breakfast, followed by SEVERAL beers for an afternoon snack (It was my day off... I was camping... no judgements people) followed by a half a loaf of ciabatta bread with more cheese than a person should eat in one sitting.

It happens.

I always feel like crap the next day and bitch about how I'm never eating wheat again and then I inevitably find myself noshing on a sandwich a couple days later.

On those off days when I'm not binging on wheat I'm usually stuffing my face with lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It's all about balance....

Sometimes It's hard to get all of those greens down, which makes these collard wraps perfect.  Take a raw collard wrap, stuff it with your favorite goodies and roll it up like a burrito. 

Collards are high in vitamins A, B, C, and K and contain high amounts of beta carotine. They are rich in iron and calcium and high in fiber. They help support our body's detoxification system and contain anti-inflamatory nutrients. 

In other words.. alot healther than a hunk of bread.


Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps (makes 4-6 rolls)


1 bunch collard greens, in this case the bigger the leaf, the better
1 batch of mujadara 
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 batch miso lemon tahini sauce




Wash and dry your collards. Lay one leaf on a flat surface (shiny side down) and cut out the inner rib, leaving as much of the leaf intact as possible. Spread a tablespoon of miso lemon tahini sauce in the center of the collard, followed by 1/2 c. mujadara, some cucumber and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts. Fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito. Cut in half and serve with additional miso lemon tahini sauce for dipping.

Miso Lemon Tahini Sauce

When it comes down to it... It's all about the sauce.

Think about your favorite condiment.  Go ahead.

Something you could smother on anything and everything...

Ketchup, mayonnaise, hot sauce, mustard... the list goes on and on...

I tend to reach for a nice oil, be it olive, flax, toasted sesame or a nut oil, like walnut or pumpkin seed to drizzle over my food.  Sprinkle some flaky salt (smoked or otherwise) on top and I'm a happy camper.

But... then there are times when I want something with a little more oomph. 

Something I can use as a creamy salad dressing, use as a dipping sauce for steamed vegetables, crudites, or falafel.

Thank sweet baby Jesus for miso lemon tahini sauce.

Tahini makes up the base of this dressing. Tahini is a paste made out of ground sesame seeds and is high in B vitamins and calcium. Add in some raw garlic (immune boosting, anti-inflammatory and anti- bacterial), lemon juice (alkalizing, high in vitamin C) and miso (beneficial bacteria) and you have a pretty dang healthy condiment.

Miso Lemon Tahini Sauce

1/2 c. tahini
2 medium cloves garlic, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
1 T. mellow white miso
1/4 t. sea salt
3-4 T. water

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.  Use more water for a thinner dressing or less water for a dipping sauce.

Super Freaking Healthy Grain Bowl

Saurkraut?
Sprouts?
Quinoa?
Miso-lemon-tahini sauce?
Kale... massaged with FLAX oil?

I mean, really.. can you get any healthier than this??

Probably not.. unless you live off of wheatgrass, sprouts and bee pollen.. but then again, if you do, you might have issues. 

I had a couple glasses of wine beforehand.. it's all about balance..

I've been eating pretty darn healthy lately. You know.. lots of avocado, fruit, greens, sprouted and cultured foods and MORE avocados.  This meal was no exception.

Grain bowls are the way to go: Grain+ vegetables+ protein+ sauce+ add on's.

This time around I chopped up some kale, mixed it with a splash of flax oil and a pinch of salt and mixed it with my hands until tender. Then, I topped it with some cooked quinoa, shredded carrots, saurkraut, tamari almonds, lemon-miso-tahini sauce and some peashoots.  My bowl weighed roughly five pounds and I ATE. IT. ALL.

You can get really creative here based on what's seasonal and readily available.

The healthy grain bowl template:

First, pick a grain:

Quinoa
Millet
Rice (brown, forbidden rice, wild rice etc..)
buckwheat

Next pick some vegetables:

greens (kale, spinach, collards, chard)
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots (raw or cooked)
beets (raw or cooked)
cooked sweet potato
green beans
snow peas
asparagus
cabbage
bell peppers

Get your protein on:

lentils or beans
tofu
tempeh
nuts
seeds

Add some sauce:

lemon tahini sauce
peanut sauce
chimmichuri
pesto
guacamole or smashed avocado
charmoula
chutney
flax/olive or other nut oil


Throw in some add on's (aka fun stuff)

fresh herbs
cultured vegetables
pickled vegetables
nuts and seeds
sprouts
salsa
hot sauce
sea vegetables

See where I'm going here?

You can keep your grain bowl as simple as you want (steamed vegetables and rice with some peanut sauce) or if you're feeling creative, you can make something a bit more elaborate (chopped kale, cooked millet, corn and black bean salsa, avocado, fresh lime, pumpkin seeds and sprouts)

Now go buy a big ass bowl and start filling it with some healthy goodies.