Hurry Up Vegan: 15 Minute Purple Kale Wraps with Almond Chickpea Filling

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Today was the day after an epic exam, which means it should have been relatively empty. Instead, it was actually a little busy: I volunteered for an extra hour, I caught up on countless emails, I finished an outstanding assignment or two, and then I was very honored to be interviewed by a fellow Georgetown pre-med student for a project she’s doing about eating disorders on the Georgetown campus. By the time I got home, I was a hangry, and in a rush to eat, but I wasn’t in the mood to simply throw a salad together: I wanted to create a raw dish, too. Thus began the wild kale wraps above. They’re a little unruly, due to the curly purple kale leaves, but they’re no less delicious for it!

I first got the idea for purple curly kale wraps when I visited Superfood Bar in New Orleans.

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The chef there said that, although the curly red leaves could be very unruly, they were a little sweeter tasting than either regular curly kale or collard leaves (the customary raw foodie wrap of choice). She was right!! Her wraps, which contained cashew pate and avocado, had none of the bitterness that collard wraps can sometimes have. I was delighted. And this week, when I saw purple curly kale at the market, I knew I had to re-create her lovely dish.

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What makes this recipe different from that one is the filling I used: knowing I’d be adding avocado to this dish, I wanted to cut a little bit of the fat from the almond filling. It was the perfect moment to test a recipe idea I’ve had for ages: an almond and chickpea dip/spread/sauce. Given how fond I am of these two ingredients, and how healthy they are, it shocks me that it has taken so long to marry them in a dish. Now that I have, it’s an instant Choosing Raw favorite.

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Purple Kale Wraps with Almond Chickpea Filling (high raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Serves 4 (3 kale wraps each; you’ll have pate left over)

For the Almond and Chickpea Pate (makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 cup almonds
1 1/2 cup chickpeas
1 large clove garlic
2 1/2 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (substitute tamari or coconut aminos)
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
Juice of 1 large lemon

For the wraps:

12 Purple kale leaves
1 avocado, sliced thinly
1/4 cup Choosing Raw pesto

1.

If you use a Vitamix: blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender, using tamp to keep things moving. Add more water if necessary.

If you use a food processor: Grind almonds till they form a fine meal. Add beans, garlic, lemon, and Bragg’s. Drizzle in water with the motor running till mixture is smooth and creamy.

2. Lay a kale leave out flat, spine up. Use a paring knife to slice some of the spine off, without cutting through the leaf.

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3. Spread each leaf with about 3-4 tbsp almond chickpea spread. Add a few avocado slices and a drizzle of pesto. Serve!

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As the title of this post suggests, the best thing about these wraps is that they take only 15 minutes to make, from start to finish. Just blend, spread, and go! Who said raw dishes have to be complicated? When this kind of flavorful, nourishing food can be at your fingertips so quickly, there’s no excuse not to choose raw.

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One of the major challenges of eating raw-er, at least at first, is knowing whether or not your raw entrée constitutes a whole meal. Does it have enough protein? Is it nutrient-dense enough? Will you be hungry later? Choosing Raw has never been a “diary” style blog—I totally admire when people have the patience and stamina to post thrice daily meal recaps, but I just don’t have it in me—which means that you often see recipes and photos of recipes, but don’t necessarily get a sense of how I incorporate these recipes into whole meals. From now on, I’ll do my best to show you!

Along with these wraps, I would have:

  • A large salad with lentils or quinoa and a light dressing
  • A cup of whole grains, or a grain and bean mix
  • A cup of lentil soup with nutritional yeast topping
  • A handful of juice pulp crackers with hemp hummus
  • A side salad with hummus topping and a slice of Lydia’s raw bread
    These foods will add some extra protein; even though the almond chickpea spread has about 6 grams per serving (more than conventional hummus) the meal could use a boost—and the grains offered up may be helpful if you don’t find that raw food keeps you entirely full!
      Before I sign off, I want to thank

Knud

      , social media strategist, resident CR social media advisor, and husband to

Chloe

      , for making my

new facebook page

    look so nice! I didn’t like the new look at first, but it’s growing on me…as is my use of Facebook in general. Stop by and join the conversations!
    xo

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Categories: Uncategorized
Ingredients: Kale
Dietary Preferences: Raw

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    30 Comments
  1. This was epicly delicious. Thank you, I would never have thought to put these ingredients together.

  2. I made this filling for use as a dip and it was amazing! It needed to chill in the fridge for about an hour for all of the flavors to successfully merge, but now I want to put it on everything. Wraps are next!

  3. I just put the following on my to-do list:
    “scour Choosing Raw for all easy to-go recipes.”

    seriously, I don’t know what I would do without your inspiration sometimes.

  4. Hmm, what DON’T I love about this post?! I have all of the above ingredients (minus the aminos) in my fridge but no blender…so I’m anxious to re-create the dish when I go home. So simple and delicious.

    I think it’s a great idea for you to note what you would eat along with your recipes. Many readers might think that’s all you would eat for a meal and then question their own appetites. Granted, we all have different appetites and needs depending on a variety of factors, but it’s still a great idea – it allows those suffering from EDs to see how eat plentiful amounts of plant-based food is nothing short of satiating and it allows those who are simply curious to get a sneak peak into your life! It’s a nice personal touch. Oooookay, my ramble sesh is over. 🙂 Love you!

  5. The Purple Kale Wraps with Almond Chickpea Filling look delicious. Great timing too, seeing as how I recently posted an article on the benifits of Kale. I hope more people become aware of it’s numerous health benifits.

  6. I was thrilled to see this recipe tonight as I was looking for something quick and light for dinner. The pate is so versatile- I had it on collard greens (for lack of purple kale), my daughter on an Ezekiel wrap, and my son on a corn tortilla (because that’s just how we role around here!). All three of us devoured every last bite. And now when I see purple kale in the grocery store I won’t be afraid to give it a try!

  7. wow that sort of is a little bit of a loose take on hummus sans tahini. but really who doesn’t like tahini? i’ve been exploring different types of kale and this one is a stand by for me. the only one i’m not terribly wild bout are the dino kale leaves but i eat them anyway lol. new FB looks nice! like the color combos!

  8. great minds think alike, a few weeks ago all i was eating was wraps with hummus, pesto and avocado. well a few other things, but i was obsessed with them. i’m afraid kale wraps might be too messy. i actually find collard wraps to not be that bitter at all, and trust me i have my moments where I can’t handle anything bitter and i can still handle collards. i personally haven’t found red kale any sweeter than green but next time i’ll pay more attention.

  9. I find these sorts of raw meals (almonds, pesto + avo. plus suggested accompanying hummus) too high in fat for my constitution…the high fat content literally puts me to sleep! I aim for a better balance of fat, pro and complex carbs.

    • I am always mindful of that balance, too, though I find that I can have a single meal that’s more one of those things than the other two, so long as the day as a whole is balanced. So a higher fat dinner would probably be preceded by a more carb rich lunch, etc.

  10. I think I have all of the ingredients to make this for dinner tonight! The almond and chickpea pate sounds fabulous – exactly what I need to get me out of my hummus rut this week. 🙂

  11. Oh, that sounds so good. Great tip about the purple kale being sweeter.
    I hope your exam went well? And that your busy day wasn’t an overstretch.
    love
    Ela

  12. That pate looks great, can’t wait to try it.

    You know every time you post a hurry up vegan entry, I always think of that old blues song about a hurry-up wagon… is that where the name for the series?

  13. That purple kale is so pretty. I could take pictures of those leaves, the texture, the color, the purple veins, the ruffly edges…the colors….I could get lost in DSLR heaven with those…before eating them 🙂

  14. Yes, giving an idea of how it fits into a whole meal is really, really helpful. I imagine if you do it often enough, it will sink in to me eventually and meals won’t be so difficult. Thank you!

  15. These look so good – loooove the combo of avocado & pesto! Can you tell me what kind of chickpeas you use for this recipe? Are they sprouted?

    • I never use sprouted chickpeas — I can’t bear the taste and texture. These were homemade, cooked, but I also enjoy the Fig Foods boxed variety.

  16. Mmmm these look delicious! Thanks for including advice about how to make a raw food dish a meal – when I have experimented with raw foods, I’ve found that I wasn’t eating enough because all of that raw produce seemed like a lot!

    • I think it’s a common raw fooder problem — so much watery veggies and fiber, so you fill up short term and are hungry later. I always try to add grains, legumes, or at least a denser raw meal component to prevent this and balance it out. Plus, it’s a nutrition boost!