Collard leaf wraps

Hello, and welcome to the Blue Barn Farm and Sanctuary. This week’s events here in Oregon have been intense, exhausting, and at times heartbreaking. The wildfires are burning throughout the West coast, putting a thick layer of smoke in the air between us and the late summer sun. In an effort to soak up the vitality from the beautiful gardens of the season without having to put too much effort into the meal, I decided to resurrect an old favorite. Collard wraps are super versatile, and can easily be made completely raw if that’s your preference. We had some leftover brown rice and delicious vegan cheese sauce to throw into the mix. The end result was fresh, flavorful, fantastic, and fast!

In as much time as it takes to wash and chop the veggies you’re going to use for stuffing the wraps, your meal is prepared. Sometimes you just want an easy meal that is also relatively good for you. The options are practically endless with the collard leaf wraps, but here you can see I opted for cucumber, carrot, red onion, Kalamata olives, and red pepper. In the past I’ve also added something a little sweet to the mix, like dried cranberries. Garbanzo beans are great, too, if you happen to have some on hand. Just heat them up with the rice, and add a spoonful of the mixture to the wrap along with the chopped veggies. Drizzle a bit of cheese sauce on top, and tahini goddess dressing to add to the mix with a tiny bit of Bragg’s liquid aminos (in place of regular soy sauce), and you are ready for a divine indulgence of flavors.

I’ve mentioned the vegan cheese sauce twice now. If you haven’t already clicked on the link, to see where I got the recipe from, I highly recommend it! For those of you out there who prefer delayed gratification, I’ll just tell you: Nora! Noracooks is one of my favorite go-to’s for inspiration. She shares amazing vegan recipes that are easy, affordable, and family friendly. You can cruise through our previous blog posts to see some of her other cruelty-free recipes that have inspired me. She makes it easy to eat an all plant-based diet, and totally enjoy it!

The next time you’re at a loss for what to make in a pinch, buy some veg, chop it up, and stuff it all into big beautiful collard leaves. Beware of over-stuffing, though, as it can lead to a pretty messy operation. I have a habit of putting way too much into my wraps. It doesn’t matter if I am making spring rolls, tacos, burritos, lettuce wraps, whatever; if I can stuff it, I will put too much in and eventually it will end up out of the wrap and on the plate. I always keep a fork on the sidelines for this purpose. There is no shame in this kind of problem. Just make sure you’re prepared so it doesn’t end up all over your lap.

On that note, I’m going to wrap up this post (pun totally intended). As we begin to make our way out of the wildfire chaos here at the Blue Barn Farm and Sanctuary, I am humbly reminded of a lovely indigenous saying, “We did not inherit the Earth from our Grandparents. We are borrowing it from our children.” As I sit typing these words, the first raindrops in over a few months have begun falling, helping to ease the tension from the wildfires, washing the ash off of the plants and animals living in what’s left of the forests. It’s times like these that I wish we could rescue them all. In a way, I suppose we can: if we all put a little more thought into the choices we are making about the food we are eating, the chemicals we are putting on our skin and our plants that eventually get washed back into the groundwater, and the way we are spending our money. Each of these things has the power to grow kindness, compassion, and empathy. Remember that small and consistent changes cultivate lasting effects.

From all of us here at the Blue Barn Farm and Sanctuary, we wish you well, and send you thoughts of safety, love, and peace. Let us know how your collard wraps turned out! Leave a comment below, share this post, and like us on Facebook and Instagram!