Recipe: Abundant Collard Green Veggie Rolls

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 5 minutes

Kick off your summer solstice celebration with a dish bursting with colour and flavour. These rolls are packed with a medley of crisp, seasonal vegetables all wrapped up in sturdy collard greens for a satisfying crunch. Paired with a creamy sunflower seed dipping sauce—rich, savoury and allergy-friendly—this dish is a delicious, modern twist on classic summer flavours. Feel free to play around and get creative with the filling ingredients and use what you have on hand. For extra crunch, you can skip blanching the collard greens.

Ingredients

Creamy Sunflower Sauce

• ½ cup sunflower seed butter
• 2 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• ½ to 1 tbsp sriracha sauce,  according to taste
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• 4 to 6 tbsp water

Veggie Rolls

• 10 to 12 large collard greens
• 1 cup finely sliced red cabbage
• 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
• ½ English cucumber, julienned
• 2 tomatoes, cut into quarters,  seeds removed and julienned
• 1 yellow pepper, julienned
• 1 small jalapeno, very thinly sliced into rounds (optional)
• 1 cup mixed fresh herbs,  such as cilantro, parsley, basil and mint

Method

Start by making the creamy sunflower sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together sunflower seed butter, vinegar, maple syrup, lime juice, soy sauce, sriracha, ginger and turmeric and 4 tbsp water until thoroughly combined. If sauce is too thick, add additional water 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl or place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use, or for up to one week.

For veggie rolls, start by preparing collard greens. Bring a large saucepan  of water to a boil. Set up an ice bath by filling a large bowl with a couple of  handfuls of ice, then filling the bowl  halfway full of cold water. Set aside.  Chop off collard green stems and, using  a paring knife, slightly shave down  thickness of stems at the base of leaf. This will allow for the easier folding  of rolls.

Add collard greens, a couple at a time, to boiling water until bright green (about 30 seconds). Immediately plunge collard greens into ice bath to stop the cooking process. Pat dry with paper towel or  a clean kitchen towel. Set aside and  continue blanching the rest of the  collard greens.

Working with one collard green at a time, place on a flat surface. Near the stem end, arrange some cabbage, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, pepper and herbs in a neat pile. Fold up collard greens around vegetable filling like a burrito, tucking in the sides, until you have a secure roll. Place seam side down on a plate and continue filling and rolling remaining  collard greens.

To serve, slice rolls in half and place on  a platter alongside a bowl of creamy sunflower sauce for dipping.

Chef’s Tip

Unsure of your knife skills? You can “shave” the collard green stems down with a peeler instead.