Spring Collard Green Wraps with Red Beet Hummus
April is the perfect month to include seasonal vegetables in your repertoire. With the end of Winter’s darker, frosty days, the bright sun of Springtime ushers in a wonderful array of fresh vegetable varieties. Many of these Spring vegetables are colored in various shades of green, including artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocados, English peas, fava beans, fennel, fiddlehead ferns, herbs, leafy cruciferous vegetables, ramps, spinach, watercress and other salad greens. Some non-green colored seasonal vegetables include beets, carrots, kohlrabi, morel mushrooms, new potatoes, and rhubarb. (Yes, it's a vegetable, not a fruit, but it sure makes a darn good, sweet pie).
This month’s recipe embodies the fresh flavors and vivid colors of the season, starting with the star of the wrap, collard greens. Instead of a tortilla, lavash, or lettuce leaf, the slightly spicy collard green capably enrobes the colorful fillings to create a wrap of substance, savory flavors, and the nutritional benefits of dietary fiber, multiple vitamins, and antioxidants.
Homemade Red Beet Hummus (or save a little time and use store-bought), Barbecue-Baked Tofu, Seasoned Cooked Quinoa, Marinated Asparagus Tips and Shredded Carrots nicely fill the collard leaves. The recipe acts as a template for creative variations of Spring vegetables now and Summer, Fall and Winter vegetables in the future, so feel free to improvise with your favorite ingredients.
Fun to create and yummy to eat, and sure to fill you up without weighing you down, this Spring Collard Green Wrap is a delicious way to conveniently enjoy a healthy, hand-held lunch or dinner.
Spring Collard Green Wraps with Red Beet Hummus
Ingredients
For the Red Beet Hummus:
1 package Steamed Red Beets
1 package Steamed Garbanzo Beans
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon shallots, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup extra virgin olive
½ cup tahini
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
For the tofu marinade:
¾ cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Sprinkle of salt & pepper
For the wrap and filling:
8 Collard Green Leaves, washed & trimmed (see directions below)
1 package Melissa’s Organic Extra Firm Tofu, cut into 16 sticks approximately ½" thick, marinated
¾ package Cooked Quinoa, microwaved according to package directions and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.
2 cups shredded carrots
1 ½ large Hass avocados, cut into 16 slices
16 fresh asparagus tips, marinated for 15 minutes in ½ cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Make the Red Beet Hummus by combining all the ingredients in a blender and processing until very smooth and creamy. Set aside. 
To marinate and bake the tofu, combine the barbeque sauce, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, sesame seeds, and salt & pepper in a large pan and marinate for 1 hour. Place the marinated tofu strips on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 375F turning once after 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 
To marinate the Asparagus, combine the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste, and pour over the asparagus tips in a shallow dish. Marinate at least 15 minutes. Set aside. 
To prepare the Collard Greens, first cut off the white stem and then trim the large vein with a paring knife so each leaf lies flat. Fill one large pot with ice water. Fill a second pot with water and bring the water to a slow boil. Place 1 leaf at a time in the water and submerge for about 30-45 seconds until pliable and bright green. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove each leaf from the hot water and plunge it into the ice water, and then remove to dry on several layers of paper towels. Pat each leaf dry, repeating the entire process with the remaining leaves. 
To assemble the Spring Collard Green Wraps, place a leaf front/shiny side down on a clean work surface and place some of the filling ingredients to cover the center of the leaf, leaving at least a 1 ¾" border around the leaf, in this order: red beet hummus, quinoa, asparagus, tofu, avocado, and carrots. Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, and then fold both sides over the filling. Then, roll up the filled leaf like a burrito and set the seam side down on a platter. 
Continue to fill and roll the remaining leaves. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll in half and plate/present with the open side facing up. Serve with any extra red beet hummus.
