Autumn-Spiced Collard Wraps

I shared a picture of these wraps a whiiiiile back and then made you all wait for the recipe – my apologies! They just really felt like an autumn-inspired recipe with the warm spices and heartiness. They are perfect for this season.

The key to making these great collards is to blanch them first. Before anything, it is important to prep them (and I will outline below). I do not recommend skipping this step, as they can be much tougher to chew if you don’t. Just a note.

But anyways, onto the recipe!

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Recipe

You will need:

• 6 or 8 large collard greens
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 large can diced tomatoes, split 3 ways with the juice
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp full-fat or lite canned coconut milk
• 3 dashes cinnamon
• 3 dashes of nutmeg
• 2 dashes cayenne pepper
• 2 dashes of ground ginger

To make:

• Preheat oven to 400 F.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add collard greens one leaf at a time and let blanch for about 1-2 minutes each. Pull out with tongs and set aside to dry.
• Prepare filling by adding oil, onion, green pepper, and garlic to a large pan. Over medium heat, stir around for about 2-3 minutes, or until cooked down a bit. Add a third of the diced tomatoes, rice, kidney beans, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Set to low and allow to cook together.
• While the filling is cooking over low heat, add another third of the diced tomatoes to your blender with coconut milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and ginger. Blend until smooth. In an oven-safe casserole dish, add a little bit of the sauce to coat the bottom. Set aside.
• Once filling is done, take off stove and set aside while you prepare the first leaf. You will want to cut out the tough stem – simple take a knife to each side of the stem to cut out. Once out, move both sides of the leaf together to close the space. Add a spoonful of filling, roll up, and fold in sides. Add to casserole dish. Repeat until all leaves are used / filling is done.
• Top your rolls with the rest of your sauce and the last bit of diced tomatoes you have left. Cover with foil and place in a 400 F oven for 50 minutes.
• Serve along side your favorite grain!

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I think you will really enjoy these. So much flavor and will warm your belly right up. Enjoy. x

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