Foodie Monday: Collard Greens Are The New Carbs

I have searched everywhere for a good veggie leaf for wraps and tacos. Just because I don’t eat very many carbs, doesn’t mean I can’t eat well. I tried different kinds of lettuce, but many of them didn’t hold their own after I added ingredients. Eating with my fingers is a simple joy for me. If I want to eat my wrap or taco with a fork, I would just make a salad.

Kale seemed like the next best thing. Unfortunately, the leaves weren’t wide and sturdy enough. For the last lunch at Vida Vegan Con (VVC) in Portland, I made a salad wrap with a collard green leaf. Since then, I haven’t been able to stop eating collard greens. I am in looooove with collard greens. I can stuff the leaves to the brim, roll them as a wrap, use them for a taco shell, and even do a burrito fold for a sandwich! They are high in vitamin A, C, K, and are obviously low in calories and carbs. Collard leaves are the new carbs for me!

While collard greens are delicious cooked, they are even better raw. The most I will do is slightly wilt the leaves in the oven for a tighter collard green wrap or burrito folded sandwich. It has been about a month since VVC and I’ve eaten collard green almost every day since then. They are so versatile, nutritious, and satisfying. I’ve probably spent more money in Whole Paycheck than I usually do because I keep running back to the store for replenish my collard green supply.

Last week, I kept making collard green, banana, dark chocolate peanut butter, coconut milk, vanilla coconut yogurt, cinnamon, and ginger smoothies. Oh my taste buds! The combination was divine! It was a meal and a dessert in one glass. I cannot wait until I am able to save enough money to buy a Blendtec . . . sigh.

Had I discovered my love of collard greens earlier, my vegetable garden would have been filled with little collard green plants by now. All I can do is wait until the next planting season and crunch (or drink) away on my latest supply. I’m sure there will me a plethora of collard green recipes from me soon; however, this time, I encourage you to go experiment in your kitchen with the one item that has almost single-handedly helped me kick my carb habit. Manga!