In the summer, we naturally crave lighter foods. However, your go-to raw salad recipe can become a bore if you repeat it daily. There are ways to enjoy the elements of a salad without taking part in the salad experience. Here’s how.
To tackle this new-age raw salad recipe, you’ll need a tough-skinned dark green that can serve as a “wrap” for regularly salad add-ins. In my take of this concept, I use collard greens to roll around julienned raw veggies and sprouts. To bring more bulk, taste and a sense of cohesion to the mix, I add raw hummus. The resulting raw hummus collard roll salad recipe is 100 percent raw, light, delicious and filling. Enjoy!
There are many ways you can alter this recipe to fit your tastes. I use carrots, cucumber and scallions as my veggie add-ins, mostly because I enjoy the crunch, but you can opt for softer veggies or even fruits, like sliced mango or melon. I also use cilantro, because I like the clean taste, but this can most certainly be swapped with fresh basil, mint, oregano, marjoram or parsley. As far as spices go, take the flavor wherever you heart desires! Try this recipe out first to get a hang of how the elements come together, especially with the raw hummus, and then personalize it the next time.
Chickpeas are excellent cooked, but they are the most nutritionally beneficially when germinated. Soaking in water allows the dried chickpeas to leach enzyme inhibitors and effectively become alive. You want the enzymes, not the inhibitors! Sprouting also increases chickpeas’ nutritional profile – protein increases by 20 percent, nucleic acid by 30 percent and certain vitamins as much as by 500 percent.
Convinced yet? Here’s how to make raw sprouted hummus and put it in a collard roll for the ultimate summer raw salad recipe.
Raw Hummus Collard Roll Salad Recipe
Serves 2
For the raw hummus:
- 1 cup dried chickpeas to make 2 cups sprouted chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons raw tahini
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Water, by the tablespoon, if needed to thin out the consistency
For assembly:
- 8-10 flat collard leaves, stems carefully removed
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1 large red bell pepper, julienned
- 1 large green bell pepper, julienned
- 1 large cucumber, julienned
- 2 scallions, julienned
- 2 large handfuls sprouts
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
Place the beans in a large bowl or mason jar and fill with water. Let them soak overnight, for 8-12 hours. The next day, rinse and drain. Return to the container and cover with a sprouting lid or cheese cloth. Leave at room temperature and rinse and drain every 12 hours. After two days, they will have sprouted.
Place the chickpeas into a food processor. Pulse. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the olive oil. Mix until grainy, then while the processor continuously mixes, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the hummus until it reaches desired consistency.
For the assembly, lay the collard green leaves in front of you. There will be 16-20 halves created, after the stems are removed. work with 1 half at a time. Place it in front of you so that the small edge is facing you. Place 1 piece of the carrot, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and cucumber so that their lengths are spanning across the bottom edge of the leaf. Dollop a tablespoon or two of the hummus atop the veggies and then add a bit of the sprouts and cilantro. Starting from the bottom edge of the leaf, roll it over the add-ins and unto itself until you reach the other end of the leaf. Repeat with the other collard green halves.
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Photo Credit: Melody Polakow