Raw Indian-Spiced Wrap

Raw Indian-Spiced Wrap

Happy Friday!

Wow! What an incredible response to my post on building nutrient-dense salads. I’m so, so glad it was helpful. I often fret when clients (or friends) skimp on dressing, toppings, and sources of good nutrition when they make salads, so let’s all vow to load up on energy and volume when we make a salad for a meal. Recently, a reader wrote in to tell me how refreshing she finds it that she sees generous portions and lots of food on CR. “One thing I appreciate about you,” she said, “is WOW YOU EAT A LOT!!!! I am always amazed at how HUGE your meals are. I, like many, have had a very unhealthy relationship with food most my life, and it is very refreshing to find a blogger who celebrates vibrant, healthy food choices.”

Thank you! What a compliment! I love to eat, and I love that you guys love it, too.

Speaking of loving to eat, I have been eagerly looking forward to sharing this recipe all week. I think Indian food fever must be in the air. In addition to a certain bloggie pal who likes to feast on Indian food on the reg, Lori and Michelle posted an awesome Indian recipe a few days ago. And me? I’d had this recipe in my head for weeks, and I finally had a night at home in which to make it! It’s an raw, Indian-flavored wrap, and it’s totally scrumptious.

It begins with a curried cashew pate. This, like my lentil-walnut pate, was inspired by a dip at Angelica Kitchen here in Manhattan. Their version is made with sprouted chickpeas, which I’m not fond of, so mine is a simplified version, made only from cashews, lemon, and spices. It’s so unbelievably tasty that I was tempted to give it a dedicated blog post of its own! The recipe:

Raw Curried Cashew Spread (yields 1 1/2 cups, or approximately 6 servings)

1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked at least one hour, preferably several)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp agave nectar, or 3 pitted dates, soaked
1/4 tsp salt (the next ingredient is miso, so if you’re sensitive to salt, start with a little less and add more as needed)
1 tbsp mellow white miso
1 tsp mild (but high quality) curry
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a food processor, stopping a few times to scrape the bowl. When the mix becomes relatively smooth, add a thin stream of water until it’s very creamy, but still thick in texture — akin to a hearty hummus. Serve on its own, in wraps, on salads, or as a dip!

This spread is a stand alone hit, and you should make it just as fast as you can. If you want to turn it into a meal, though, give this amazing wrap a try!

Gena’s Raw Indian-Spiced Wrap (yields 2 wraps; serves 1)

Along with your spread, you’ll need to make my Indian-spiced veggies. These things are genius! And simple as heck to make. I was inspired by the dehydrated veggies that I made a while ago for my rockin’ hummus wrap. This time, I wanted to dust them with spices before the dehydration process. I began with chopped veggies–about 1/3 cup each of eggplant, zucchini, red bell peppers, and carrots. I tossed them in a few teaspoons of coconut oil; if you like, you might try Spectrum’s coconut oil spray.

Then, I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, a tiny smidge of agave nectar, and 1 tsp garam masala. After tossing them to be sure they were all coated in spices, I stuck them in my dehydrator at 105 overnight. In the morning, they were warm, fragrant, and also drastically reduced in size!

If you don’t have a dehydrator, go ahead and stick them in the oven at a low temperature till they’re soft and fragrant. If you don’t care much about cooking temp, just go ahead and roast them in the same spices!

To put these wraps together, you need to little more than combine your tasty spiced veggies with the curried cashew spread in a collard wrap! Simple, quick, easy. If you’re rusty on using collards, it’s very easy: just slice a V shape at the bottom where the very thick stem is:

Then, use a paring knife to shave down the remaining “vein” in the leaf:

Spread a few tablespoons of curried cashew spread about an inch from the bottom of the leaf, and top it with half of your dehydrated veggies. Tuck in the sides, and roll upwards, and you’ll end up with something that looks like this:

Repeat with a second wrap, and you’re ready for dinner!

I cannot tell you how wonderful this meal was. So simple, yet exotic and unbelievably satisfying. I’d forgotten how dearly I love Indian spices–they appeal directly to my penchant for sweet-savory combinations. This is a good reminder to whip out my garam masala more often!

The meal:

Check out this amazingness:

And again:

Oh yes.

Hope you all give this one a try — at least try the cashew spread! It’s truly awesome, and it would work just as nicely in an Ezekiel wrap as it does in a collard or chard leaf. And we all love versatility.

I’m writing from upstate New York right now, where the lilacs and wisteria are blooming. It’s beautiful and peaceful, and I’m so happy to be here. Have a wonderful weekend — I’ll be back on Sunday.

xo

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Categories: Main Dishes
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Raw

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    40 Comments
  1. I just made the cashew spread and wow, it’s really amazing. I’m just using it to dip raw veggies so far…I added a touch of garlic. It’s great with, but I can see how it would be just lovely without it as well.

  2. This is soooooooooo good! I whip up a big batch of this indian spiced cashew spread every week to use in collard wraps for lunch. YUM!

  3. When you refer to “high-quality” curry, do you have a specific brand in mind?

  4. OMG! I just made these with the roasted vegetable variation. I used cauliflower, zucchini and carrots. I am bursting out of my skin with excitement. They are SOOOOOOOO delicious. Do you mind if I repost the recipe on my blog? Of course, you will get all of the credit!!!! Thank you for being such an amazing food blogger.

  5. gena, i just made this spread with a steamed artichoke for dipping and i cannot get over how flavorful it is – i halved the recipe and totally wish i hadn’t! someday i will have to invade your kitchen. 🙂

  6. This looks great. I went to my favorite Indian buffet Monday for lunch and even though I only ate raw and cooked veggies with a little dahl, I was so tired and lazy the rest of the day. I decided I would have to try some raw Indian food instead to get my Indian fix. I had recently received Elaina Love’s dvd on Indian food and watched it. I decided for my birthday in August, I would make this meals there are a lot of dishes and it will take some time to make it.

    But now with this recipe I don’t have to wait. Thanks.

  7. This looks so yummy!! A quick question though-would the spread be really different without the miso? The only place that sells it nears me sells it for $10 which is a lot considering I don’t know what else I would use it for. What do you think?

  8. This looks fantastic! I love your blog and all of your recipes- especially the raw soups, now that I’ve discovered how easy they are, I have to have one for lunch every day!

    Question- do you think this would still be good without the dates/agave? I’m trying to avoid too much sugar 🙂

    Thanks!

    • Meg —

      It’s really not a lot of dates/agave for the whole recipe, but sure, you could skip it. Or use stevia.

      Gena

  9. Hi Gena,

    Big fan of ur site.. but thi is the first time im posting..
    Love this recipe.. it’s a have to make 🙂

    thanks

  10. Thanks for posting this awesome recipe! Have fun in upstate New York. I’ve never been there, but it sounds beautiful. Have a great weekend!

  11. I just received some curried cashews as a gift the other day…I wonder if this recipe would work with those as the base for the spread?

  12. Holy nom nom nom! I never really believed that a raw wrap or sandwich could look or taste satisfying, but I think this is a winner on both accounts. I love how the cashew spread looks like hummus. I so need to get myself a food processor ASAP!

    Have a good weekend Gena!

  13. WOW Gena…that looks so delicious! It reminds me of a roasted veggie hummus wrap I used to eat in college when I first got into vegetarianism! I stopped eating because hummus bothered my belly, but I will definitely be trying this very soon.
    I’ve also recently fallen madly in love with collards! I’ve been juicing them and using them for wraps nearly every day 🙂

  14. I really like the collard wrap idea. It’s a great way to avoid gluten and adding greens to your diet. The tumeric in the curry spice also adds up to the beneficial antioxidants in this meal. Look foward to try this recipe!

  15. I love Indian spices too. I have all the ingredients except the collards, so I’m going to wrap this up in some nori for dinner tonight. It looks so good that if I had the veggies ready to go I’d probably eat it for breakfast :).

  16. I loooooove cashew spreads and I loooooove Indian cuisine, so you have go to know I will be making this.

    Gena, I love to eat and I LOVE that you love to eat. I’m glad a reader let you know how much we all appreciate you!

  17. The cashew spread does sound wonderful! I have been craving things rolled up in nori – and I have one more sheet in the cupboard – the cashew spread would be just perfect!

  18. I always try to have something more insightful to say than, “Yum,” but gosh, all I can say is, “Yum!!!” Have a great weekend, G!

  19. It could also work in a savoy cabbage wrap.

    How delicious – and nutritious! Garam masala – and indian spices in general = LOVE.

  20. mmm looks SO good. this is perfect as i’ve been craving collard wraps. the indian-spiced nut pate sounds so yummy.

    i love garam marsala too — lately i’ve been spicing up my hot chocolate (warmed nut milk with cocoa powder) with it, and it’s amazing.

  21. oh YUM! you know the title caught my eye 😉 i can’t wait to try this!!! thank you for the shout out, too. love indian food so dearly.. and you, of course 🙂
    have a great weekend!
    xoxo

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