Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Growing up in the Middle East, there are a few North American festivities that I was introduced to much later in life than folks who have lived here their entire lives. For example, when I moved back at the ripe age of 19 to go to university, I didn’t really know what Oktoberfest was all about, and I certainly didn’t realize that I’d moved to a city known for having the second-largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world. Similarly, having attended a British international school from the ages of 13-18, the Superbowl was pretty much a non-event. Football, for all intents and purposes, referred to what North Americans know as soccer, and rather than having high school football teams (as in, American football), if my male friends were interested in contact sports, they were on the rugby pitch.

Then there’s March Madness. Up until starting university in 2006, I had no idea what it was. Some super busy time of year? Craziness around booking last-minute flights for March break? Surely it had nothing to do with a shopping event like Black Friday because I stay up to speed on things like that. Eventually I learned that March Madness refers to the NCAA basketball tournament that determines the national champions of college-level basketball in the US. (All of you US readers are probably going “duh” right about now, so pardon my lack of experience on this topic.)

Just like I’ve never been one to get super excited about the Superbowl (with the exception of the commercials and half time shows), March Madness has never had me on the edge of my seat either. However, both of these events seem to be embraced by foodies as opportunities to make snacks. Recently, I was tasked with the challenge of creating such a dish with Dole Chopped Salad Kits (known as Chop Chop Salads in Canada).

dole chop chop asian blend

Using one of the kits, I was asked to prepare a recipe that could be dunked (March Madness, basketball, you get it right?), and one that would serve as a healthy snack while enjoying the tournament. There are 5 blends to choose from (which vary slightly between Canada and the US) and they look like this:

dole chopped salads

While salads aren’t really the first thing that come to my mind as a vehicle for carrying dip or eating with your fingers, I did have an idea in mind.

dole chop chop asian blend 2

Starting with the Asian Chopped Salad blend, I gathered up a couple more ingredients…

sliced mango

halved avocado

chili flakes and lime

wet collard green leaf

… and went to town on making some veggie-packed collard wraps. Now, if you’ve never tried making a collard wrap before, or if the thought of having it all fall apart in your hands has deterred you, I’ll let you in on my secrets. Here’s the first:

trimmed collard green leaf

First, cut out the tough stems. This will help the leaves to roll more easily and helps you avoid the issue of the stem breaking and letting the fillings burst out. Secondly, layer up a couple of large leaves for greater durability. I like to make mine overlap so that the top one covers the area where the bottom one’s stem was cut out.

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

And thirdly, don’t try to overfill them. As shown below, plop your fillings at one end, leaving some space near the edges to fold the leaves in.

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

After that, just roll away!

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

We’ll get to the specifics in just a second, but we can’t go on without first discussing the dip. I thought about doing a peanut sauce (my current fave) but realized I had a very ripe avocado that needed to be used ASAP. Guacamole is a whole lot more Mexican than it is Asian, but I put a little Eastern twist on it by adding some minced ginger, cilantro, tamari, rice vinegar, and chili flakes. The result was creamy, smooth perfection and I can’t wait for you to try this because I think you’ll love it too.

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients (4 as appetizer)

  • 8 large collard leaves
  • 2 cups Dole Chopped Asian Blend salad (a mix of cabbage, kale, sugar snap peas, and shredded carrots)
  • ½ cup tofu shirataki noodles, well-rinsed and drained
  • ½ ripe mango, julienned
  • 1 cup shelled defrosted edamame
  • ¼ cup loosely packed cilantro

Asian-Inspired Guacamole

  • 1 ripe avocado, roughly mashed
  • 1 tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 packed tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp low sodium tamari
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • juice of ½ lime
  • a few pinches of dried chili flakes

Instructions

  • Wash the collard greens and remove any thick stems, leaving the rest of the leaves in tact.
  • In a large bowl, combine the Asian salad blend, noodles, edamame and cilantro. Set aside.
  • To make the Asian guacamole, combine all ingredients (avocado through chili flakes) in a blender. Puree until smooth, then use a spatula to scoop into a small dish. (You should have about 1 cup of this dip.)
  • Layering 2 collard leaves on top of each other, arrange a handful of the veggie and noodle mixture on one end. Fold the side edges inward, then roll up the leaves together, wrapping the veggies inside.
  • Continue until all leaves are used, placing the rolls seam-side down on a plate. Serve with the Asian guacamole.

Now it’s over to you. Tell me…

  • Do you get excited about March Madness? Or are you like me and use it as a reason to make fun snacks? 😉
  • If you could have any pre-chopped, ready-to-eat salad blend you wanted, what would it contain?

This post was sponsored by Dole Foods and I was provided with complimentary product to create this recipe. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

16 thoughts on “Rainbow Collard Wraps with Asian-Inspired Guacamole

    1. That sounds great Jojo! I love how nicely pumpkin seeds and cranberries pair together. Costco actually sells a mix that has shredded kale, cabbage and brussels sprouts, and comes with a packet of pumpkin seeds and cranberries inside. It’s delicious!

    1. Oh no! On the bright side though, that’s good that you were able to pin it down to cabbage. I had an allergic reaction myself a couple of weeks ago and still have no idea what it was! I hope you and your new bundle of joy are doing well! 🙂

  1. See, this is why I need to read blogs because otherwise, I live under a complete rock – March Madness what? The recipe looks wicked! I will have to try it at my next event!

    Also, new camera lens pics? I want to eat my computer screen!!

    1. Haha yeah – in my world, March Madness means crazy weather that is sunny but still so.freaking.cold – now THAT is madness! 😉 Maybe I’ll make these little babies for our April girl’s night.. I’m sure we don’t let any go to waste!

  2. Those look amazing! Especially the guacamole. I think I may have to put these into rotation this week.

    You are so crafty with your recipes. I love it!

    See you Thursday! 🙂

    1. Thanks Leah! I have to admit, the guac is awesome. I’ve also used it as a coleslaw-like dressing with a bunch of shredded veggies. You could totally toss the veg here in the guacamole before rolling up the wraps, rather than dipping them in it. Enjoy and YES I will see you Thursday! 🙂

  3. Omg these are the prettiest things you’ve ever made!!! What a fun challenge! I made collard wraps once before but I had the problem you mentioned – they fell right apart on me. I never even thought to layer two leaves.

    I use all sporting events as an exude to eat snacks… 😉

  4. I grew up in Asia and lived in Australia for the past 10 years and I have no clue about March Madness either! And, yeah, for me, football is soccer and in Australia, football is an entirely different kind of ball game all over again, otherwise known as the AFL! But never mind the sports, those collard wraps look awesome! So colourful and pretty 🙂

    1. Thanks so much Marilyn! I have to admit I don’t know a ton about AFL, but I definitely got a dose of it when I was in Australia for 2 months back in my teenage years (I think it was 2004-ish). Aside from not knowing all the ins and outs of the sport, it was still fun to see the Aussies get all hyped up about it! 🙂 Have a lovely day!

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