Sunny Miso Collard Wraps

sunflower seed miso spread in veggie collard wraps

     

  I love to eat with my hands, but I don't like to get my hands dirty (ever). That is why I love wraps. They are everything delicious in one neat tidy package that I can pick up and enjoy without anything sticking to my fingers, or dribbling down into my sleeve.

   For this wrap I chose collard greens as the container for all the goodness I piled inside. Collards are a great choice for a wheat free wrap because they are sturdy. And with a little blanching, they are flexible enough to hold everything securely in place- right down to the last bite. They are also full of nutrition.
   
   Collard greens, along with broccoli and cabbage, are a cruciferous vegetable.  A serving provides  more than 100% of our daily requirement of both vitamins K, and A. They also have a respectable amount of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and calcium. And when talking about cancer, I read that collard greens have glucosinolates, which can convert to isothiocyanates. Not that I know what either of those are, but apparently isothiocyanates can stop the harmful effects of carcinogens. They are the cancer fighting food of the season in my book.

   The sunflower seed spread in this recipe is one of my favorites for sandwiches, wraps, or crudite. I started making it when I was on my raw, vegan diet last year. While I no longer strive to eat all raw food, I do still make this sunflower seed spread on occasion. It is a nice alternative to hummus, and if you read this post from a while back, you can read their nutritional profile. Sunflower seeds are full of important vitamins and minerals.

    This spread is bold with flavors. The miso adds a nice salty savory flavor, and the cider vinegar adds enough acid to keep it from losing it's zip under all the veggies. It's garlicky too. I find that the garlic can overpower, if you don't consume it fresh on the day it's made, but I don't mind. I like garlic. You could always blanch the garlic, if you don't like it with a strong garlic flavor. 

1. Start by washing the collard leaves and trimming/shaving the thickest part of the stem in order to make it easier to fold. 
2. Then drop one leaf at a time into a pan with a couple of inches of simmering water. Put the cover on, and let the leaf steam/blanch for about 30 seconds. This should be enough time to make the leaf flexible enough to fold and envelop the filling. You can let it go longer if you want it softer, but not more than a couple of minutes. 
3. Then rinse the leaf under cold water and set aside to dry while you blanch the remaining leaves.

    

   Once the leaves are ready, spread 1/4 of the sunny miso spread over the center of the leaf, then top with your favorite vegetables. I used grated carrots (highly recommended), avocado (almost a requirement), and watercress ( one of my favorites). Fold in the stem end first, then one side, then the top and then the other side, rolling as you do this to form a nice tight package. I like to cut mine in half, but that's a matter of preference. 

   You don't have to keep it raw here. You could add some cooked grain, or steamed vegetables if you like.

   Sunny Miso Spread

1 c. raw sunflower seeds soaked and rinsed
1 T. white miso (I used chickpea miso)
1 tsp.. cider vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. tamari
1 garlic clove (small) minced or crushed
1 tsp. minced ginger
2 T. coarsely chopped parsley leaves, or cilantro if you prefer.

   Put everything except the parsley into the food processor and run until the seeds are broken down, but not until completely smooth. It's nicer if it has a little texture. You will need to scrape down the sides several times. Add the parsley at the end and pulse a few times to chop it up. 
   This makes enough for about 4 collard wraps.
   It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Note: seeds are soaked 6-12 hours to remove phytic acid, which can interfere with mineral absorption.

Quinoa Watercress Salad

so good for you-watercress and radishes

     I usually make this salad in the summertime, starting around the time that those long thin breakfast radishes first appear at the farmer's market.  Then I tend to forget about it as I am lured by the deep golds and oranges of the winter squashes that show up later in the season, when the air turns crisp and cool, and I start to crave heartier meals. Well, we are not even half way through the cold season, and as much as I love the sweetness and comfort of roots and squashes, I really needed something to remind me that spring will come again. So when I noticed a beautiful bunch of watercress at the supermarket, I immediately craved this salad.

      Watercress doesn't seem to be that popular here in the States, but I really love it. It's leaves are soft and tender and the stems are crisp and juicy. If you've never had watercress, its' peppery flavor is similar to arugula, and like arugula, is milder when young, and becomes more bitter as it matures. 

   It is a great choice for salads, not only for its flavor and freshness, but for its nutritional value as well. It may not look like it, but it is a powerhouse of vitamins A,C, and K. It is rich in beta carotene and other antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals. And, it also contains angiogenesis inhibitors, which are the things that block tumors from forming the blood vessels they need to survive. Angiogenesis inhibitors are now being used in the treatment of cancer. That's another reason for me to love this stuff.

    I kept this quinoa salad very simple with radishes and watercress, then perked it up with the lemon cumin dressing, but you could easily add a few more ingredients if you wanted to. Cucumber and watercress are especially nice together. Avocado is a welcomed addition to just about anything in my opinion. I once had the surprise of fresh watercress served atop baked leeks, and it was a very good combination, so you might want to try something like that here too. If you wanted to add a bean, I have in the past added edamame beans, and would suggest those as a very good option.

   I chose to use watermelon radish here for the drama of its beautiful color, but you could use daikon or any common radish you like.
  
Quinoa Watercress Salad
serves 4

1c. quinoa (soak overnight in several c. of water if possible)
1 1/4 c. water (2c. if grains are not soaked)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bunch of watercress roughly chopped
1/2 c. of sliced or cubed radish ( you can cut it however you like)
note: you could also increase the ratio of vegetables to grain for more of a vegetable salad

Dressing
1/4 c. olive oil
1T. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
 1 garlic clove crushed
juice of 1 lemon (2-3 T.)
3/4 tsp. salt.

   Drain and rinse the quinoa well. Add the quinoa, 1 1/4c. of water, and the 1/4 tsp. salt to a saucepan. Note that if you did not soak the quinoa you will need to use the larger amount of water.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-12 minutes (about 15 for un soaked grains), or until the water is absorbed. Be careful though, you don't want to overcook the grains. They should be soft and firm, but not mushy, so you can drain off any extra water if needed. Set aside for about 15 minutes, and then fluff with a fork and let cool.

   While the quinoa is cooking you can make your dressing. I have a thing with cumin. I never use it raw. So, when making the dressing, I put 1 T. of the oil in a small pan and heat it over medium heat .Then I throw in the 1T. of cumin, and fry it until it gets toasted and fragrant. This only takes seconds. I then add the cooked cumin to the rest of the dressing ingredients and mix well.
  
   Once you have all your vegetables, the quinoa, and the dressing ready, just mix it all together. Taste for salt and lemon. Serve at room temperature or cold.
   
p.s.  your liver will love the lemon and radishes, so amp up the perky flavor and liver support by adding extra of these if you like.

Sweet Potato and Stuff

 
    Ha! Today I inspired myself. I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner. Maybe most of you already have, but  typically when I need some mashed up avocado, I scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash it up with a fork. No more! Now I do it right in the shell. Brilliant.

Sunflower Seeds nutrition and cancer

    You may start to notice that whenever appropriate, I suggest a sprinkling of nuts or seeds atop a dish.  Of course the obvious reason is because they add a delicious roasted flavor, a sweet nuttiness, and a bit of crunch to a dish. The other less obvious, but equally important reason is because they are nutritious, and my goal when preparing food is to maximize flavor and nutrition. Yes, you can do both.
    Today I am going to talk about the nutrition of one of my favorite seeds, sunflower seeds. 
Did you know that 1/4 of a cup of sunflower seeds provides:
82% of vit. E
34% of selenium
28% of magnesium
70% of copper
43% of thiamine
28% of B6
33% of phosphorous 

   Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, and has been shown to aid in the prevention of cancer. It is also an anti-inflammatory, and can reduce symptoms of diseases such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.
   Selenium has been shown to inhibit cancers growth by repairing abnormal cells, and by detoxing the body of damaged cells.
   Sunflower seeds are also high in Phytosterols, which can enhance the immune response, and reduce the risk of certain cancers.
  
   I found no information stating that roasting the seeds destroyed any of these benefits.  If I do I will let you know. Or if anyone has any information on this, feel free to leave a comment.