Wrapping: Hummus, toppings, and kale salad

I was so inspired by this summer vegan kale wrap that I found the recipe for on Friday that I had to make it immediately. I spent nearly half my day on Saturday gathering all the ingredients and making all of the items that went into it, but the result was the best wrap I've ever had; also the most expensive (when you count buying all the ingredients), time consuming wrap I've ever made. But worth it for all the new recipes I know now!

Here is the original recipe, (complete with videos!) from Gena at ChoosingRaw.com and Kathy at Healthy Happy Life.

I started with the hemp hummus for the wrap.


It was my first ever batch of hummus!Good flavor & consistency. And not that hard or time consuming to make, either (once I figured out what tahini was, and where to find it and shelled hemp seeds). Here's the recipe (from Gena @ Choosing Raw):

High Protein Hemp Seed Hummus:
Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
• 1 can chickpeas, drained, or 2 cups freshly cooked (heat before blending for ideal consistency)
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tahini (optional)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Water

Steps:

1. Place the hemp seeds in the bowl of a food processor and grind till powdery.
2. Add the chickpeas, salt, lemon, garlic, tahini, and cumin, and begin to process. Add water in a thin stream (stopping to scrape the bowl a few times) until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3. Garnish with hemp seeds and serve.

Next came the trio of bruschetta toppings that go into the wrap (or, not surprisingly, onto bread to make bruscetta) (from Kathy @ Healthy Happy Life):

Avocado Jalapeno Lemon topping:

• Mix 1 avocado cup into small cubes, 1 Tbsp diced jalapeno, 1 lemon juiced, lemon zest, and salt & pepper.

Balsamic Shiitake Mushroom topping:

• Saute sliced shiitake mushrooms in olive oil & balsamic vinegar. Cool and add chopped fresh thyme, and a few pinches of truffle salt & pepper.

Mango Basil Lime topping:

• Peel & cut 1 ripe mango into cubes. Add 2 Tbsp chopped basil, 1-2 limes juiced, and lime zest.
  

And then the kale salad and dressing (again from Gena):

Miso Sesame Dressing:
Makes nearly 2 cups. Half everything if you don't need that much- it is a pretty rich dressing.
Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mellow white miso
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 3-4 tbsp tamari
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, or 1/2 tsp dry
• 1 and 1/4 cup water

Blend all ingredients together on high.

Kale Salad
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch curly kale
• 1 large vine ripe or beefsteak tomato
• 1 large bell pepper (or if you're like me and don't like peppers, just omit it- still tastes great without it!)

Steps:

1. De-stem the kale by holding them stem and simply pulling the leaves off by sliding your other hand from the stem to the tip. (You want the leaves and not the hard stem part). Wash & chop the kale.
2. Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the miso dressing to the kale. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the salad- it will help break down the kale so it's a bit softer when you eat it.
3. Add the tomatoes (and pepper if preferred) and serve.

Watch Gena's video for the de-stemming and 'massaging' techniques if you aren't sure!

Here are the finished products:


And finally, the wrap with everything in it!


It was YUM.

Some tips:
-Don't forget to warm the wrap for a few seconds first before putting things in, so it doesn't crack when you wrap it.
-I made the mistake of buying small rather than extra large wraps. Go big instead: there's a lot to put in this filling, delicious, healthy wrap!
-Tamari is very similar to soy sauce, and tahini is similar to peanut butter (I'd never used either one so didn't know!)
-The ingredients are all just as good (if not better?) the next day!
-The miso dressing recipe makes a TON of dressing, so unless you're looking to store about 2 bottles worth, I'd halve it.
-Check out Gena and Kathy's blogs for more useful information.