This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of California Walnuts. 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!
Roasted eggplant, spinach, grape tomatoes, walnuts, raisins, basil and walnut “ricotta”. If you can wrap your head around all the flavors happening here, I assure you- you’ll be on your way to the kitchen to make this delicious healthy, gluten-free, vegan lunch recipe. Now hold up, I know it may seem a little complicated to make but I promise these wraps come together in just 20 minutes!
Why is it important that these wraps come together quickly? Well because lunch needs to happen people. I’ve partnered with California Walnuts for their Choose Lunch campaign because far too many of us are skipping out on an important meal of the day… myself included!
Lunch may not stand a chance against a Busy Bee’s to-do list, in-fact it’s often a great opportunity to multi-task, whether it’s catching up on emails or social media (or if your me, some editing, blogging, recipe creating or zzz’s because the kiddos kept me up a couple hours last night and momma needs her sleep!). Lunch is important y’all, but not just any ol’ lunch. It’s meant to recharge, refuel, and relax you midday while providing your body and mind with vital nutrients to finish out the last half of the work day until dinner.
So skip the fast food loaded with chemicals (and who knows what else). With a little bit of meal planning, you can have these Roasted Eggplant Wraps with Walnut Ricotta calling your name right around the noon hour begging to be devoured. Here’s how I’d do it: whip up some walnut ricotta the night before, then the next morning roast up some eggplant while you’re getting ready for work, then stuff and wrap these babies up for lunch. Done!
I love the thought that went into this Choose Lunch campaign, California Walnuts is encouraging America to recommit to the midday hour with a proper lunch break that nourishes and rejuvenates the mind.* And walnuts certainly play a large role in doing such with their high content of omega-3 fatty acids! So naturally that means the winning ingredient that takes these wraps from meh to YUM is the walnut ricotta, definitely the walnut ricotta. It’s super easy to make and keep in your fridge to enjoy with crackers, on toast, or with fresh veggies. It’s also vegan and gluten free (I mean, duh because it’s on my blog lol). The key is to use high quality walnuts, namely, California Walnuts.
A snackaholic might disagree with taking a full lunch break because they feel content with the snack life, but it almost feels like that takes more work trying to hoard snacks in your desk than pack yourself a fulfilling meal.
If you’re pledging to choose lunch with us, go ahead and tag your re-creations of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook!
If you like these wraps, be sure to check out my QUINOA FALAFEL TANGERINE CRUNCH WRAPS too!
*information provided by the California Walnuts website
Roasted Eggplant Wraps with Walnut Ricotta
Ingredients
- gluten-free wraps
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced
- 1-2 tbsps olive oil
- salt + pepper, to taste
- grape tomatoes, halved
- spinach
- raisins
- walnuts (I used California Walnuts)
- fresh basil leaves
- walnut ricotta (recipe below)
Walnut Ricotta
- 1.5 cups walnuts (I used California Walnuts)
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup almond milk/water
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 475 degrees
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Nexy, make your walnut ricotta. I boil my walnuts to soften them, but this isnt necessary. Blend all walnut ricotta ingredients together until smooth
**NOTE: if you don't boil your walnuts, your ricotta may be a little chunkier
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Next, slice your eggplant into strips and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes
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Slice your tomatoes in half
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When the eggplant is done roasting, assemble your wraps by spreading some walnut ricotta on your wrap, then adding spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, raisins, walnuts, and a few leaves of basil
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Store any leftover walnut ricotta in the fridge and enjoy on toast, with crackers, or fresh veggies!
