Spring finally arrived in NYC, so I got inspired to eat some warm weather foods. When I found these perfect-looking collard greens at my local store on Monday, I decided to make raw lettuce wraps. Most lettuce wrap recipes I’ve seen are very meat-heavy, but I made mine with all fresh veggies and fruit, including avocado and cashews to make ‘em filling.
To slightly soften up the collard greens, I dunked them in boiling water for just a couple seconds, then patted them dry with paper towels. I used one big leaf, cut in half lengthwise and removing the stem, to make two wraps.
For a dipping sauce, I was dreaming of making my own tamarind sauce, but couldn’t find the tamarind pulp anywhere close to home. So this time I opted for a store-bought Peanut Satay Sauce from Thai Kitchen.
My fillings included thin sliced cabbage, yellow bell pepper, pineapple, avocado, red onion, carrot, cucumber, cilantro, basil, and chopped cashews (all raw). I grabbed a little handful of each filling and arranged them at the end of the collard green leaf strips. Then I drizzled olive oil on top and wrapped them up tightly into rolls. Served with a side of Peanut Satay Sauce, then wraps were perfect for a light lunch or dinner. If you make them smaller, they’d be a great appetizer dish.
If you decide to try these out, feel free to use the same ingredients or dream up a combination of your own fillings. You can’t go wrong!
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Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try!