Collard Greens, who knew?

This past month I’ve been very lucky to land a job, finally! Not just any job though, it’s a nutritional seeking foodie’s dream. I am an office manager/ personal assistant to a Certified Nutritional Health Counselor who also runs cooking classes from The Food Evolution, a center in Rockland County, NY.

It’s only been about a month and half and already I’ve encountered new foods, new recipes and amazing tricks and tips (Don’t worry, I actually do work, I swear. Of course it’s more than just fun and food). It’s a really great opportunity and I’m loving every minute of it.

One of the little tricks I’ve learned has to do with the cruciferous nutritious leaf: Collard Greens. These huge, fan shaped leaves are full of cancer preventing nutrients and, considering their large size, they just happen to make the PERFECT wrap – which is great considering I’m practicing being a good catholic and made a sacrifice for lent (and for my waist line) by giving up bread.

I’ve become kind of obsessed with finding different variations of making these into sandwich wraps. At The Food Evolution, Diane Hoch has an amazing recipe for a spread to use when making these collards into mini sushi rolls….but you’ll have to stop in to find this out (or wait for the upcoming cookbook *SPOILER*). Want a sneak peak…check out the Facebook page for pics. I’m obsessed.

Anyway…at first I was making these wraps with raw collard, which, although I didn’t find much of an issue with this, apparently it’s a little more difficult to digest and the bitter taste can be subsided with a simple little method – blanching! It’s perfect to soften these tough, nutrient packed leafy greens to a flexible and bright wrap. Just heat a little water in a saute pan and add the collard green, just a few seconds on each side. It will turn a beautiful, brighter green and soften up.

This is awesome because you can be so creative. You can add just about anything to these: veggies, turkey, chicken, tuna…you name it! I made my own hummus as well to use as a spread. I’ve included some iPhone shots of the turkey avocado wrap I made the other day, I wish they looked as appetizing as this tasted, but trust me – it’s definitely worth a shot.

Try out your own recipes and feel free to share new ones for me to try! I’d love the feedback.

Feel free to check out The Food Evolution blog as well, we post new blogs about once a week full of information on different foods and nutritional tips based on the month and season.