Marinating the chopped mushrooms in lemon juice, thyme, coconut aminos and garlic while everything else comes together is what gives them a savoury, almost roasted flavour despite never meeting a heat source, with the raisins slipping in small pockets of sweetness against the bite of the chilli flakes. The dipping sauce leans on sun-dried tomatoes for a concentrated, smoky tomato flavour, balanced by the sweetness of dates and the umami depth nutritional yeast brings - together they read more like a roasted red pepper dip than a typical raw sauce. Collard leaves stand in for a tortilla: sturdy enough to roll tightly around a generous pile of shredded vegetables and mushroom filling without tearing. Because the vegetable filling is deliberately left open-ended, these burritos adapt to whatever you have on hand - shredded carrot, cabbage and broccoli sprouts work as well as the classic pepper and onion. Rolled burrito-style and served with the sauce alongside rather than inside, they stay easy to eat by hand without the leaf going soggy. The combination of smoky sauce and peppery mushroom filling gives them far more depth than a simple vegetable wrap, closer to a loaded burrito than a light lettuce roll.
Raw collard burritos with marinated mushrooms
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Ingredients
Wraps
- 5 collard green leaves, stems removed
- An assortment of vegetables of your choice, for filling
Spicy mushroom filling
- 90 g mushrooms
- 1/4 lemon
- A few sprigs of thyme, stems removed
- 1 to 2 tsp raw coconut aminos
- 1 to 2 cloves of garlic
- Chopped spring onion
- A handful of raisins
- A dash of red chilli flakes
Dipping sauce
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 to 2 medium carrots
- 1/4 red onion
- 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 to 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- 2 medjool dates
Preparation
- Chop the mushrooms and let them marinate in the lemon juice, thyme, coconut aminos, garlic, spring onion, raisins and chilli flakes while you prepare everything else.
- Blend all the dipping sauce ingredients together until smooth.
- Shred, julienne or chop your choice of vegetables - carrots, red onion, broccoli sprouts, red bell pepper and cabbage all work nicely.
- Lay a collard leaf flat, arrange the vegetables and mushroom filling down the centre, and roll it up burrito-style. Serve with the sauce alongside.
Tip
Let the mushrooms marinate for at least fifteen to twenty minutes if time allows: the flavour deepens noticeably the longer they sit in the lemon and coconut aminos. If the collard leaves feel too stiff to roll, run a rolling pin gently over the thick centre rib to flatten it first.
FAQ: your questions about raw collard burritos
What can you put in wraps?
The principle of a good wrap comes down to three layers: something crunchy, something soft or creamy, and something strongly flavoured. Here that is the shredded vegetables, the marinated mushrooms and the sun-dried tomato sauce. Adapt with what you have: sprouts, avocado, hummus, fresh herbs, chopped nuts. The only real constraint is avoiding very liquid ingredients, which would soak the leaf before the first bite.
What can I put in a vegetarian wrap?
Just about everything a classic wrap contains, provided you replace the protein source. In living cuisine, that role falls to marinated mushrooms, sprouts, soaked nuts or nut butters, all satisfying without being heavy. Mushrooms are of particular interest here: marinated in something acidic and something salty, they take on a texture and a depth reminiscent of a cooked ingredient.
Can you make wraps the day before?
For this recipe, better to prepare the elements the day before and roll on the day itself. The mushroom filling only gains in flavour by marinating overnight, and the sauce keeps well for several days in the refrigerator. A rolled wrap kept overnight, on the other hand, sees its collard leaf soften and release water. If you absolutely must roll them ahead, count on a few hours at most, wrapped tightly in film and kept cool.
What is the difference between a tortilla and a wrap?
The tortilla is an ingredient: a flat corn or wheat flatbread of Mexican origin. The wrap is a preparation: any filling rolled up in something pliable - a tortilla, but also a rice paper round, a thin pancake or, as here, a cabbage leaf. In other words, not every wrap is made from a tortilla, and this recipe is precisely the illustration, since it does without flatbread entirely.
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