Collard Wraps w/Sunflower Pate

My husband enjoying his Collard Wraps

I found recipe through one of my very favorite blogs, Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. They have great whole food, healthy, allergy friendly, original recipes! If you haven’t checked them out, I greatly encourage you to stop by their blog.

This recipe is very unique! The flavor is so wonderful and while it is fairly time consuming, it is totally worth it! This recipe was not the biggest hit with my husband, but I loved it! It is so healthy, and makes a huge amount! I think it would be a great appetizer to bring to party, or for a large dinner as the main dish!

Collard Wraps with Raw Sunflower Pate (from Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen) 

1 bunch (large) collard greens

Sunflower Pate:

 2 cups raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 6 to 8 hours

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup finely diced shallots (I found ¼ cup was a little to strong for my family, next time we will use a little bit less)

2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoon honey (I added this to the recipe as I found it was too tart without it!)

Fillings (all optional, whatever sounds good to you!)

pumpkin seeds
green lettuce
tomatoes

grated carrots

sprouts

sliced avocados

Cut the stems off of the bottom of each collard green. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

While the water in coming to a boil, drain and rinse the sunflower seeds in a fine mesh strainer. Place all pate ingredients into a food processor fitted with the "s" blade and pulse until desired consistency. I like mine processed until the pate is fairly smooth. Set aside.

To blanch the collard greens, dunk each one in the boiling pot of water for approximately 60 seconds. Gently remove with tongs and set on a plate to cool. Continue to do this until all of the greens are blanched.

To assemble the wrap, place a green onto a large plate or cutting board. Place a few scoops of the pate on the bottom (stem-end) of the green. Add your other filling ingredients on top. Fold the long ends in slightly (about an inch on each side) and then tightly roll. Refrigerate right away or cut in half and serve.