Collard Green Wraps with Vegan Garden Pesto

By: Lachelle Cunningham

Turn this recipe into your #WeeklyMarketMeal by serving with fried chickpeas and/or grilled Wild Run Salmon. Note: Vegetables listed in the ingredients for the wraps are just a guideline–experiement with whatever is in-season and available at the Market!

Ingredients

For the Pesto

• 2 cups tightly packed fresh herbs (basil, green onion, parsley, cilantro or a combination)
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cloves garlic or 3 garlic scapes
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

For the Wraps (see note above)

• Large collard green leaves
• Bell peppers, shaved or thinly sliced julienne
• Cucumbers, cut or shaved thinly lengthwise
• Carrots, cut thinly lengthwise or grated
• Radishes, cut thinly lengthwise or grated
• Vegetable sprouts or microgreens
• Sauerkraut or other pickled vegetables from Kiss My Cabbage
• Avocado, thinly sliced lengthwise
• Asian Dipping Sauce: ½ cup rice wine vinegar, ½ cup soy sauce, 1-2 Tablespoons sesame oil, ¼ tsp cayenne (whisked together)

Method

To make the pesto, place the herbs, sunflower seeds and garlic in a blender or food processor fitted with the S-blade. Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground. Turn the motor on and drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the sea salt, pepper, lemon and nutritional yeast, and pulse a few more times to combine. Taste and add more seasonings as needed.

To assemble the wraps, Cut each collard leaf into 2 pieces by cutting off the stem lengthwise, making 2 collard wraps. Spread a spoonful of the pesto inside each collard wrap. Add a small amount of vegetables in a cluster in the center of the wrap. Add 1 teaspoon of Asian Dipping Sauce and roll up the collard wrap.