Orange Cream Collard Wraps

 

 

The first time I ever had the pleasure of biting into a fully raw collard green was about five years ago at the West Hollywood Real Food Daily.  It had beets and peanut dressing, which are always a good combo, so I thought they could make even a raw collard green taste great!  Well, they did!  Little did I know at the time but collard greens are delicious raw!  They have a very sublte "green" taste and instead are slightly sweet and crisp.  There is no greater feeling of health and nourishment then when I am eating raw collard wraps daily.  The only trouble is, collard wraps hold lots of great veggies but you need a good sauce that won't run all over the place while still adding flavor with each bite.  My creamy Orange Cashew Sauce does just that!  The bright flavor of the orange sets your palate for smooth salivary sailing with each bite of this delicious, colorful, and healthful wrap!

 

One change that has completely altered my food cravings since having gone vegan and 80% raw are my recalibrated taste buds!  When we eat heavily processed foods, their nautral flavors have been removed along with the nutriotiion.  To add flavor back in, we see sugar, salt, and toxic chemicals such as MSG being added in to recreate artificial flavor and extended shelf life.  Well, I believe that if it's not broke, don't fix it!  Food tastes great in it's original, whole, and unproceed state.  The trick is actually making the switch from high to low levels of processed foods.  During and after this switch takes place, your tastes begin to change.  Foods that tasted incredible before will begin to taste too sugary, too salty, and just too toxic.  Your taste will instead begin to flourish when eating foods like fruit and vegetables.  Flavors that were bland before will begin to pop and grab your attention like never before!  Now, raw collard greens taste sweet and earthy all at the same time.  I promise it is a ride that will forever change your life! 

 

If you are new to collard wraps, then don't fear!  These wraps are full of flavor that everyone can enjoy.  Additionally, I've created a quick how- to for prepping and wrapping a collard leaf.  Let's get started!

 

Orange Cream Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked 1-4 hours, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 to 2 Tbsp. coconut aminos or tamari

 

Collard Wrap Ingredients:

1 large or two medium-sized collard green leaves

1/2 cup romaine lettuce, ribboned OR 1/2 cup green cabbage, shredded

1/2 cup sprouts

2 carrots, shredded

1 additional vegetable - I've used cucumber cut into matchsticks but you can shred a beet, or ribbon a zucchini.  Use whatever you like and have on hand.  I love the fresh, crisp texture of cucumber in wraps so I always add them in. 

Sesame seeds, optional 

 

Method for the Cashew Spread:

To a food processor fitted with the S-type blade or to a high speed blender, add all ingredients.  Process until the spread is smooth and creamy.  We are aiming for a hummus like texture here.

 

Method for Collard Wrap (Take a look at my How-to here):

Take your collard green(s) and lay them on a flat surface shiny side down.  De-rib the leaf by shaving the stem with a knife so that it is flush with the leaf.  Take some of the cashew spread and layer it on the leaf in the middle.  Then add your filling.

 

 

Now, roll it up and wrap it in a wet paper towel. Refrigerate for about a half hour to really seal the wrap form.  This is an optional stap.  You can eat it right away if you prefer!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 



 

Thank you for visiting the Venturing Vegan blog!  Feel free to share any and all recipes with family and friends! Wishing you all a healthy and fun summer!

 

 

 



Raw Pear Tart

Life in the Pacific Northwest can be harsh for a California girl. Cold winters, minimalist produce selections, and expensive apples (wait! I can't actually get a Washington apple in Washington? I'm not paying $2 for an imported apple) have dampened the bounty of my heart.  Driving through the country in late Fall, the roads are lined with apple trees just bursting with delicious looking fruit.  Of course, the stores don't carry them.  There is more profit to be had for the powers at be to ship off our beautiful and locally grown fruit and then import sub-par, prematurely picked substitutes.  Fortunately, one of my clients has 10 acres of farmland where she has a veritable orchard of pear trees!  Thanks to my favorite doggy acupuncturist, I've been pretty much assured my fill of local, rich, and juicy pears! 

 

One day after a dropping off a weeks supply of raw, vegan VV meals, I found two large buckets of pears with a little sign that said, "Take all you want!"  Digging through buckets of fruits, searching for the most perfect specimen brought memories of flea markets and fruit vendors in Brisbane where all produce was displayed in boxes on a dirt floor.  Is there anything as satisfying as buying fruit from a dirt floored local market?  Maybe.  Picking fruit ripe from the tree or produce fresh from your kitchen garden scores pretty high on my happiness charts.  With all of these locally sourced gems, what is one to do with the abundance of pears?  Make pie! It breaks my heart to think about baking or cooking fresh fruits.  The sweetness of fruit is a sensory treat in of itself and the confetti of nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins are just a pretty awesome bonus.  With perfection being in the raw, why bother to heat these perfect little packages and damages the goods?  In my humble opinion, fruit is best served and enjoyed in the raw.  Therefore, here is my version of the most delicious unbaked pear pie you will ever taste.  Enjoy the process, enjoy the ride, and please be grateful for the privilege that is a perfectly ripe pear on the taste buds.

Let's begin with the crust:
Ingredients

• 3 cups raw cashews
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted  (if your dates are dry, soak in water for 30 minutes to an hour)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Method:

1. To a food processor fitted with the "S-type" blade, add the cashews, salt, and vanilla.  Process into a powder. 
2. Roughly chop the dates and add them to the food processor slowly while it is running.
3. When the mixture forms a dough that sticks together (test by pinching a piece between two fingers and see if it holds together).  If it sticks together than it is ready, if not, add another date and process again.
4. Take a pie pan and line with plastic wrap.  Press dough into the pan to form a pie crust.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.  While it cools, make the filling.
5. Once the crust is cool, it will be firm enough to remove and still maintain its shape.  Gently remove and discard plastic wrap. 

 

For the filling:

• 3 ripe pears, cored and sliced thin
• 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted, chopped
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 organic orange, seeded and peeled
 

Method for filling:

1. To a blender, add the orange, dates, vanilla, and coconut oil.  Blend well until smooth.
2. Gently add sliced pears to a large bowl.  Cover with orange sauce and mix until all slices are covered.

Take pie crust and lay the pear slices in facing the same direction.  Wrap around in a circular pattern until all the pears are in the crust.  Take one or two pieces of pear to lay in the center.  Garnish with shredded coconut, optional.

 

 

This pie will keep for a few days covered in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!