Seasonal Veggie Wrap

I've been eating this crunchy wrap for lunch often. I use whatever we have on hand from our CSA basket, whatever leftovers might be in the fridge, and a good dressing. I've actually become quite obsessed with dressings lately, but that's a topic for another day.

Let's take a look!

And now . . . the closeup!


SEASONAL VEGGIE WRAP

What you'll need . . .

• A wrap -- I buy mine (multigrain) at Aldi
• A green -- I used spinach
• Something(s) crunchy -- I used carrots and bell peppers
• A spread -- I made some Tahini-Free Hummus*
• A bean or grain -- I had some leftover farro
• Cheese -- this is honey goat cheese**
• Dressing -- this is Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
• Drizzle -- I like to use hot sauce or even Inglehoffer Sriracha Mustard

* Tahini-Free Hummus is just 1 can of chickpeas -- drained + rinsed -- blended in your food processor with a clove of garlic, a couple tablespoons olive oil, and then 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (until you reach your desired consistency). Season with salt and pepper.

** Omit to make this "recipe" vegan.

Method . . . 

1. Assemble the ingredients as I did above. There are no rules, so feel free to put them on your wrap in whatever order makes the most sense to you. I find it helpful to cut my crunchy veggies into thin strips for easy eating.
2. Hunt in your refrigerator shelves for more leftovers (rogue beans make a good fit) to toss on. Really, this "recipe" is a great way to eliminate food waste.
3. Dress and drizzle for flavor. Then roll into a loose wrap. Everything will be heaping, so you won't have an airtight seal by any means.

What's your favorite seasonal fruit or vegetable?

I'm most excited for TOMATOES to come into full bloom (here's why!). I love Caprese Salads, homemade BBQ Sauce, slow roasted tomatoes, and quick-to-prepare Pasta Sauces.

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Vegan Spiedie Wrap

We're at that point where we're again deciding whether or not to ditch cable. It happens every year around this time. But when we watched more TV, we were quite hooked on Adam Richman's Man vs. Food. I link to it often, but if you haven't already -- you can check our sandwich tribute here.

Oh, and I found this goodie -- El Chubacabra -- lurking in our video archives -- all the way from 2009!

I guess I'm glad we didn't pull the plug just yet, because we caught the tail-end of his newer series Best Sandwich in America last night. The episode got me thinking about local and regional food specialties. Like Rochester, NY's garbage plate or Philly's cheesesteak, for example.

There's another upstate NY favorite called the Spiedie, which is a sandwich assembled with cubes of meat marinated in a special sauce, grilled over charcoal, and slapped into a submarine roll. Our favorite local brewery makes a vegan version, but we can't afford to go out to eat much these days.

So, we now make it at home!


VEGAN SPIEDIE WRAP FOR 2

#1: The sauce is sold at local grocery stores in the area. But we made ours with a recipe we found online, subbing olive oil for canola. It comes together quickly, and is basically just oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and lots of Italian spices.

#2: The wrap/bread? Pieces of basic 5-minute naan -- but with two teaspoons baking powder instead of just 1/2. One batch made two large pieces perfect for stuffing.


#3: Other ingredients needed:

• One package of 7-grain (or your favorite) tempeh
• 1 large, ripe avocado
• 2 to 4 tablespoons Vegenaise
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• Handful spinach or mixed greens

Method . . .

• Cut tempeh into triangles. Set aside.
• In a fry pan over medium heat, pour in 1/4 to 1/2 cup Spiedie sauce (keep the rest in your fridge for a rainy day) and add tempeh. Cook, turning over several times, until both sides are browned.
• Make your naan -- again, instructions are here. You just need two large pieces.
• Mix together the Vegenaise and horseradish. Spread into your bread. Then top with the cooked tempeh.
• Slice an avocado and distribute evenly between wraps. Top with spinach/greens. Fold or roll over and enjoy!

Maybe not 100% traditional, but amazingly good. Pairs well with a summer shandy (mixture of 1/2 beer, 1/2 lemonade)!


What's a dish that's indigenous to your part of the world? Have you tried making it at home?

Yesterday I wrote about some random Wednesday Stuff over on Writing Chapter Three -- including my new glasses. It's day #2 with them, and I'm still smitten.

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Simple Hummus Wrap with Arugula

The fresh produce included with our frozen CSA share this month is some peppery arugula out of Ithaca, NY. I'm not usually a fan of lettuce-like greens, they make me think of grass and leaves from outside.

(Shameless excuse to post some outdoor photos I took this morning.)

But I do enjoy baby spinach, arugula, and kale. Sometimes collards, but late in my pregnancy with Ada, I developed an aversion to them that has stuck around. A lot of my friends and family don't understand why, as a vegetarian, I don't love all vegetable meals, especially salads. Obviously it's just personal preference, but I guess I can see why it seems strange.

Anyway, we've wasted no time finding a use for it, since we regard arugula as a bit of an extravagance. It adds tons of flavor to a tasty hummus wrap.


We don't need to tell you how to make a lunch wrap. Ours included homemade hummus, arugula, and mozzarella cheese. But the hummus recipe would be helpful if you're looking to go without store-bought. Stephen's parents gave us a tub of grocery hummus this weekend. It was good, but we're so used to making our own that it was almost too intense with salt and other flavors.

Here's our latest favorite:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch of salt, optional
• Water, see below

Toss everything into a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread a generous amount on your wrap, but save the rest in the fridge for up to 1 week. Add water -- one tablespoon at a time -- until you reach your desired consistency.


One other tip: Use a smart wrap. Stephen's parents also brought us some whole wheat Mission wraps that have 26 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein per serving (1 wrap)! Unfortunately, we can't find this exact type around our part of the country, so we'll be stocking up on our next trip to NJ.

Happy Friday! We'll be celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend -- if you'd like to read about how our actual V-day flopped, check out (never home)maker, baby!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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