Lazy faux-falafel collard wrap

When I came back home today, I was craving falafels. However, the warm weather makes baking falafel completely out of the question. So, I made a thick and chunky hummus that I used on some fresh collard greens. The result: the great falafel’s taste in a fresh and crunchy wrap. Perfect for summer!

Here is what you need for the hummus:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• the juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cup of mustard greens or cilantro
• 1/3 cup water
• salt and pepper to your taste

Here is what you do:

1. Place everything in your food processor and process until smooth to your liking. The mixture should be thicker that hummus, but still smooth.

Here is what you need for the vegetable garnish:

• 3 carrots, peeled
• 5 celery stalks
• 1 zucchini
• 10 button mushrooms
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tbs mirin or rice vinegar
• 1 tbs tamari or soy sauce
• pepper to taste

Here is what you do:

1. Shred the carrots and celery and place in a large salad bowl.
2. Shred the zucchini and mushrooms. Place in a large pan on medium-high heat and add the sesame seeds, mirin and tamari. Stir until well combined and let sit until most of the water is evaporated.
3. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the salad bowl and mix with the carrots and celery.
4. Taste the mix and add pepper if you like.

To eat:

1. Wash and cut the stem out of some collard green leaves. Pat them with a towel to remove the excess water.
2. Place some hummus, some vegetable garnish and fresh herbs or tomato slices in the middle of a leaf.
3. Fold the sides and bottom of the leaf on the garnish to form the wrap and enjoy!

Collard greens are great to make wraps because they are large, pliable and  tender. As many cruciferous greens, this vegetable is rich in iron, vitamin K and A. It’s a great alternative for kale and it is much easier to prepare as it is much more tender and soft. It went really well with the hummus: the cumin flavour was amazing! The vegetables bring a nice saltiness to the wrap and a contrasting texture. This is really fun to eat as you can wrap as you go and is perfect to share. Let me know if you try it out!