Quinoa gets tossed with roasted zucchini and eggplant, kalamata olives, and sundried tomatoes, then wrapped in a collard green with hazelnut pesto and dates for a delicious, filling, healthy meal.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nature’s Greens. The opinions and text are all mine. The product mentioned in this post was sent to me as a gift to use in this recipe, thank you so much!
Collard wraps are trending, like- it’s cool to eat your veggies wrapped in veggies, seriously! Take whatever you normally make wraps out of and roll it in that big, leafy green thing you might not have ever heard of, leaving you full, but not that bloated blah.
Last month I made pretty epic Breakfast Tacos using Nature’s Greens easy-to-prepare collard greens, and I loved them so much I decided to try a recipe using their large, gorgeous Organic Collard Greens. These Mediterranean Pesto Collard Wraps are bursting with so many Mediterranean-inspired flavors, something I don’t cook enough of.
They are loaded with plant-protein, thanks to the quinoa and are a great source of calcium, thanks to one of the best sources of calcium, no not milk silly, collard greens! Which is especially important for me on a vegan diet.
These Mediterranean Pesto Collard Wraps are super simple to make, even easier if you’re not trying to make them look all pretty, haha. The key to collard wraps is making sure you fill them with enough, but not so much that the leaves, when folded over the filling don’t touch.
And I’m a big pesto fan over here, I try to make everything into a pesto… or sneak it into my everyday meals, like in my GREEN GODDESS PESTO BOWLS or my PEA PESTO GRILLED CHEESE. Typically, pesto basics consist of basil and pine nuts, but this time I subbed the pine nuts for toasted hazelnuts and yummmm. This probably isn’t some grand discovery, but to me it was a game changer in these Mediterranean Pesto Collard Wraps, I could really taste the hazelnut and it was lovely in combination with the other flavors.
So here’s the steps:
– Get Nature’s Green’s Organic Collard Greens (because these are the biggest and best collard greens I have ever seen!).
– Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
– Cut your eggplant and zucchini, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and then roast them for 15-20 minutes.
– Wash and trim the collard greens, making sure to really thin out the stem running down the back without piercing through the leaf, this is essential for rolling.
– Blanch your collard greens in boiling water followed by and ice water bath for 15 seconds each. This isn’t a vital step, but I do recommend it to make the wrap more palatable and easier to digest.
– If you can’t find already toasted hazelnuts, toast them in a skillet for about 5 minutes, then you’ll blend them up in your pesto.
– Stir together the quinoa, kalamata olives, sliced sun-dried tomatoes.
– Dry your collard wraps and fill them with the quinoa mixture, roasted. veggies, sliced dates, and a large spoonful (or two) of pesto- just like in the photo above.
– Fold the sides over the filling, then roll the wrap away from you.
– Slice diagonally and devour!
Feel free to roll as many as you can, these make a great packed lunch! If you happen to snap a photo prior to scarfing, post onto social media, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!
Mediterranean Pesto Collard Wraps
Quinoa gets tossed with roasted zucchini and eggplant, kalamata olives, and sundried tomatoes, then wrapped in a collard green with hazelnut pesto and dates for a delicious, filling, healthy meal.
Ingredients
- 4-5 large collard greens, (Nature's Greens are amazing!)
- 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 large eggplant, sliced
- 2 zucchinis, sliced
- olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 5 dates, sliced/chopped
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 4oz sundried tomatoes, sliced, (jarred in oil, juliene cut for ease)
- hazelnut pesto, (recipe below)
Hazelnut Pesto
- 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, (buy toasted or
- 1.5 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese, (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Cook the quinoa according to package directions
- Cut your eggplant and zucchini, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and then roast them for 15-20 minutes
- While your veggies are roasting and your quinoa is cooking, wash and trim the collard greens, making sure to really thin out the stem running down the back without piercing through the leaf, this is essential for rolling.
- Blanch your collard greens in boiling water followed by ice water for 15 seconds each. I use 2 large skillets to do so. This isn't a vital step, but I do recommend it to make the wrap more palatable and easier to digest. Dry them well before rolling
- If you can't find already toasted hazelnuts, toast them in a skillet for about 5 minutes, then you'll blend them up in your pesto
- Stir together the quinoa, kalamata olives, sliced sun-dried tomatoes
Hazelnut Pesto
- Blend all pesto ingredients together in your food processor/blender until smooth
- Dry your collard wraps and fill them with the quinoa mixture, roasted veggies, sliced dates, and a large spoonful (or two) of pesto- just like in the photo above
- Fold the sides over the filling, then roll the wrap away from you. Slice diagonally and devour!
