Lunch is my toughest meal. If I don’t have leftovers from dinner I am usually at a loss and I have no idea why. I mean, it’s food. I love food. I have no troubles with breakfast or dinner but for some dang reason lunch totally trips me up. Before I started to eat clean and combat my Candida overgrowth, I would eat nachos every day for lunch. I’m not even exaggerating. Nachos. Matt would come home and ask me what I had to eat (yes, these are the bizarre questions we genuinely enjoy talking about) and he would disapprovingly shake his head when he’d hear my answer. I never understood why. I put flipping lettuce and various fresh vegetables on top of my chips. It’s not a big deal.
Okay, so it wasn’t the healthiest choice for my body. So sue me. But I will say that my creativity has been awakened now that I am not able to rely on ol’ trusty nachos. Every day for lunch it’s something new and so far these Falafel Collard Wraps are one of my favorite meals, mainly because I can throw everything together quickly, wrap them up and dip them into a sauce created by plain yogurt, diced cucumbers, and dill. So tasty!
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 Tbsp. tahini
- 1 Tbsp. chickpea flour
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- small handful fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. coriander
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 c. plain yogurt (dairy or nondairy but make sure nothing has been added)
- 1/4 c. cucumber, diced
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill
- 6 collard leaves, cleaned and stems trimmed
- diced tomatoes
- diced red onion
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, mix all the ingredients for the falafel together until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, use a medium bowl and mash the chickpeas with the back of a fork.
- Form 12 small patties with your hands and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side. Flip over. Bake another 10-12 minutes or until browned.
- To assemble, place two falafels, a heaping tablespoon of yogurt sauce, tomatoes, and diced red onion on top of the collard leaf and roll like a burrito. See video below for assembly.
For a video tutorial on how to fill up and wrap these bad boys, view here:
Here’s to a cleaner year, a cleaner you, and to lunch. And the groundhog.
mip
February 6, 2015 at 4:19 pmMade these the other day. OMG! super yummy! I was a little worried about it not being moist enough with just 2 tablespoons of tahini. The moisture was perfecto! They were also nice and crispy. My new go to falafel recipe. Thank you!!
Bianca
January 13, 2015 at 10:15 amMmmm….nachos. But the wraps look just as tasty as nachos sound! I had tempeh bacon & hummus collard wraps yesterday, and they were delicious. I usually blanche the collard leaves for 5 seconds and then cool them in an ice bath before rolling because I find the leaves don’t break as easily that way. I’ll definitely have to try your falafel filling!
Cara
January 15, 2015 at 10:36 amNachos are so good, right??!! ha. And can we talk a little more about this tempeh wrap you mentioned. Holy collards, that sounds amazing!! You know what was crazy? Usually I have to blanch them too but these leaves were so pliable, I couldn’t believe 😉
Strength and Sunshine
January 13, 2015 at 10:12 amThese look great Cara! I’ve only made a collard wrap once, but I need to do it again!
Cara
January 15, 2015 at 10:34 amThis was my second time making a collard wrap and I will say that they are definitely growing on me! Hope you like it 🙂
Ashlee (@somedelightful)
January 13, 2015 at 9:09 amYum! These look SO DAMN GOOD>
Cara
January 15, 2015 at 10:37 amYAY! You know it looks good when cursing is a must 🙂 xo
Caitlin
January 13, 2015 at 7:24 amwhat’s wrong with loaded nachos for lunch? i think it’s perfectly healthy- you ate vegetables! but, nothing can beat this falafel wrap. falafel is soooo good.
Cara
January 15, 2015 at 10:35 amDefinitely nothing wrong except when you eat them every dang day and I didn’t mention how many chips I would eat 😉