Black Lentil Collard Wraps with Almond Sauce

I’ve been loving these quick and easy Black Lentil Collard Wraps for lunches during the week. It’s a low-waste recipe that’s tasty, convenient, and travel-friendly.

Am I the only one who sometimes dreads peeling root vegetables like beets, potatoes, and carrots?

Guess what. I’m granting you full permission to skip this step.

Not only does leaving vegetable skins on help reduce food waste, but it also makes plant-based meal prep way more convenient.

There’s already a lot of chopping and dicing when you’re working with fresh fruits and veggies. Why overcomplicate things?

My dietitian side can’t go any further without also mentioning that you get extra fiber when you leave your vegetable peeler in the drawer. Fiber is good for your gut and immune system and also helps your body maintain balanced blood sugar levels in between meals.

You can follow the no-peel method with almost any vegetable.

I skipped peeling the golden beet in these collard wraps so you can get an idea of the process. Basically, you just need to scrub and rinse clean first!

If you’re feeling a little bit skeptical, I found this article helpful for breaking down which veggies are (and aren’t) no-peel friendly.

While we’re on the topic of food waste, did you know you can eat the tops of beets (the green parts), too?

I used them to add some additional color and nutrients to these collard wraps. You can also add beet greens to soup. Try tossing them in a pot of Tomato Barley. You won’t regret it.

The how-to for these collard wraps is easy.

Collard leaves are topped with a colorful mix of sautéed vegetables, black lentils, and a creamy almond butter sauce.

Feel free to use this recipe sort of like a formula by swapping in ingredients depending on what you have on hand or need to use up before it goes bad.

Some variations:

• Instead of black lentils, try another variety (red, green, brown, yellow) or use beans, chickpeas, or tofu.
• Instead of beets, try carrots. (Use carrot tops the same way you’d use beet greens.)
• Use peanut butter or tahini instead of almond butter.

Without any peeling, you can prep a batch in less than 30 minutes. Ready to give beets a chance?

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Black Lentil Collard Wraps with Almond Sauce

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Collard greens are topped with a colorful mix of sauteed vegetables and black lentils and drizzled with creamy almond sauce in this low-waste lunch recipe.

Course: lunch

Cuisine: gluten-free, low waste, plant-based, vegan

Servings: 2 people

Author: Stephanie McKercher, RDN

Ingredients

Collard Wraps:

• 1/2 cup dry black lentils, sorted and rinsed (see note)
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, or oil of choice
• 1 medium golden beetroot, scrubbed clean and thinly sliced and quartered into triangles
• ¾ cup beet greens, rinsed and chopped (greens from 1 beetroot; optional)
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage (also known as purple cabbage)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 rinsed collard green leaves

Almond Sauce:

• ¼ cup crunchy almond butter
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for spicy flavor)
• 1 tablespoon water or as needed to thin

Instructions

1. Combine dry black lentils and 2 cups hot water in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently with lid tilted 20 minutes, or until desired tenderness is reached. Drain excess water if needed and set aside.
2. Add oil to hot skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in beetroot, beet greens, and red cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 minutes, or until beetroot is tender. Stir in lime juice, remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare almond sauce:

1. While lentils are cooking, whisk almond butter, soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Gradually whisk in water until mixture reaches sauce consistency. Set aside until ready to serve.

Prepare collard wraps:

1. Spread collard leaves on a cutting board and use a paring knife to slice off the rough stem from the bottom of each leaf.
2. Divide cooked vegetables and lentils between collard leaves and spoon onto the center of each leaf. Drizzle with almond sauce.

Recipe Notes

½ cup dry black lentils yield 1 ½ cups cooked. Substitute with another lentil variety, chickpeas, or black beans if desired.

 

Low waste tip: Sauté any vegetables you have on hand to fill these wraps. Substitute with seasonal produce based on availability in your area.

 

Recipe tested with MaraNatha Crunchy Almond Butter.

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