I am picky about my food and always have been.  Nowadays I am more picky about how it was grown and how well it will benefit my overall health but if it doesn’t taste good, I just won’t eat it.  So I cook and co-create a lot.  This recipe is one that I was inspired to create by a friend on Facebook in addition to trying to obtain a more alkaline eating lifestyle.  I hope you INJOY it as much as I did, please comment and share your experience when you make it.

While I am not specifically writing organic next to each item, in order to save time, please note that everything is organic & non GMO.

Makes about 12-15 wraps

Ingredients

1 bunch of collard greens (about 12-15 nice sized leaves)
1/2 large yellow onion diced
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of cooked quinoa (I used black quinoa)
4 pieces of tri-colored carrots (I used 2 red, 1 orange and 1 yellow)
1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of peas
3 stalks of celery
10-15 kalamata olives and 2 tbs of olive “juice” liquid
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 dill/garlic blend (created by Natures Soul)
2 leaves of lemon basil (grown in my garden)
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp Himalayan or Real salt
2 tbsp red palm/sunflower oil (My preference is always sunflower or coconut oil but olive oil can be used as well)
1 large skillet
1 4 qt pot of water (2 – 3 cups of water, just enough to cover the entire collard leaf & never use tap water)

1. If you haven’t already cook your quinoa, if you’ve never made this before you cook it just like rice.  Allow it to cool while you move on to step 2.
2. Saute veggies – Put a large skillet on med high, when pan is hot add oil, diced onions, diced celery and diced carrots.  Saute, stir often until you see the onions turn translucent to light brown and carrots and celery are no longer too crunchy (do not let them get to cooked or they will turn to mush).
   1. When everything is just about done at your peas, salt, paprika and cook for a little bit longer.  Again don’t allow your veggies to turn to mush
3. While you are sauteing start to prep your collard greens.  Wash them well with clean water (we use filtered water for everything even washing veggies).  Remove most of the stem with a knife to prevent rips and wholes from forming in the collard.  You only want to remove the really woody hard part of the stem so approximately half way up the collard green.
4. Place your pot on the stove on high and when it starts to boil turn it down to low.  Take one of the prepped collards and place it in the pot of hot water, making sure to fully submerge it under the water and take it out after about 30 seconds.  It will turn a nice bright vibrant green color and will be flexible but will not fall apart, if it does that means you never to remove the next one a little faster.  Place on a cooling rack, or tray to air cool.  Make sure the bottom one is cool before you place another on top or it will continue to cook from the residual heat. Repeat until they are all done.
5. Next dice garlic, kalamata olives, lemon basil and add to the quinoa along with the olive “juice”, stir well.  Add dill/garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
6. Mix into quinoa the sauteed veggies and give it a taste :).  Adjust seasonings to your liking.
7. Fill the wrap, take about 1 1/2 – 2 tbs of the quinoa stuffing mix (depends on the size of the collard leaf) and add to the center of one of the cooled collard leaf.  Start at the bottom, fold both of the ends where you cut the stem off, towards the middle, covering the filling.  Now fold the sides over and roll it up.  You may have to do this step a few times to get it right but they should look like they do in the picture below.
8. INJOY!  I thought about making a sauce to dip them in but they were so flavorful already there was no need 🙂 Love it when that happens.

Not only is this a very healthy meal, it is pretty quick to prepare, can be prepped a head of time and you can get the children involved in wrapping them!