Veggie Wraps with Sprouts and Cabbage

Gluten Free Asian Rice Wraps

Gluten Free Asian - style Sprout Wraps
a.k.a. cheap wraps, grow your own sprout wraps
gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, sugar free (optional)

This might sound strange to some of you, but I always keep a head of green cabbage in my fridge.  Always. No exaggeration.  I slip it into all kinds of dishes as a cheap filler, like the wraps shown here. These wraps are a standard in my house and my fiance was actually around the corner nibbling on the other ones while I was photographing these. 

I also love these wraps for traveling.  With so many food allergies, airport food offers very little in the way of options so I always pack a ton of food with me (more on packing food for traveling later).  The last thing anyone wants is to be sick on an airplane, or better yet, miss your flight because you're stuck in the bathroom!  I've found that taking lots of fresh veggies and rice cakes really helps to stave off that "I'm so gross, bloated, dirty, yucky, shouldn't have eaten that whole bag of chips" feeling from spending a day traveling.  These little wraps are a staple in my traveling lunch bag.  They hold up really well and I actually feel good after eating them, even if I am stuck on a smelly bus on the way to the airport. 

Ok, so on Saturday I suggested to my followers on my Facebook page and on Google+ that you all stock up on cabbage, as it's on sale right now for St. Patrick's Day.  I promised to give you recipes that had to do with cabbage!  (Here's a thank you to Rogene whose post on Gluten Free and Loving It reminded me about buying cabbage for St. Paddy's Day, therefore inadvertently inspiring me to post on cabbage).  Cabbage is always a good deal, even when not on sale, and is extremely versatile.  It can be used for everything from British to German to Asian to Indian cuisine and everywhere in between.  It can be raw, cooked, boiled, baked, or anything else you like.  It also stores well in the freezer, and can be taken out to use for cabbage rolls and wraps, or shredded for stir fries and curries. So to kick off the cabbage fest, I'm posting my recipe for gluten free Asian rice wraps. 

Mung Beans

So this recipe that I developed a while back uses cabbage, along with one of my favorite things - Home Grown Sprouts.  Those of you who have been following along with me for a bit know that I seriously love sprouts and have been working on incorporating them into everything, including Sprouted Green Lentil Bread and Sprouted Red Lentil Bread.  Well these wraps are actually based around two types of sprouts that you can grow at home, Mung Bean and Alfalfa.

Of course, you can just buy the grown sprouts in almost any market, but I prefer to grow my own.  It's cheaper, of course, and I just love to sprout.

Mung beans can be found in many markets that have a bulk section or an Asian section, or they can be found at an Asian market.  They are often used in soups, stir fries, or in mung bean noodles.  They're like little green, oval pea-type things with a white dot (see the picture to the right).   Alfalfa can be found in health food stores, or some enlightened markets ;)  Both should be very cheap, and you only need a very small amount to make about a dozen of these filling little wraps.

Ready-grown alfalfa is easy to find, but if you can't find sprouted mung beans, or the seeds, you can substitute sprouted soy beans (or sprout soy beans yourself) or most other pea or bean mixes.

Alfalfa sprouts

Note: If sprouting these yourself you'll need to plan about 5 days ahead, as the alfalfa take a few days to grow green leaves.  If one or the other of these sprouts is ready to go ahead of the other, you can refrigerate them.  Rinse and drain once per day until you are ready to use them.  They will keep in the fridge up to 4 days.

Ingredients: (makes about 10-12 wraps)

2 Tbsp alfalfa seeds (or about 2-3 c alfalfa sprouts)

4 Tbsp mung beans (about 2.5 c mung bean sprouts)

Shredded cabbage, carrots and mung beans

2-3 medium sized carrots, peeled, shredded or julienned finely*

approx. 2 cups of packed green cabbage leaves, then shredded or finely chopped (cut out the hard white centre)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped fine

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 Tbsp oil for stir frying

approx. 12 rice wrappers, available in the Asian section of most markets

Sauce:

3 Tbsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce (I use Bragg, widely available in markets - in Canada in Save-On or Choices) or GF Tamari sauce*

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey or brown sugar

1/4 c warm water (or veggie stock)

Directions:

1. If sprouting alfalfa and mung beans yourself, start with the alfalfa.  Soak for 5-6 hours, then drain.  Continue to rinse and drain 2-3 times per day (see here for more details on sprouting).  On the third day, once little tails have begun to grow, set the alfalfa seeds in a sunny spot.  On this day, you can begin the mung bean sprouts.  Soak overnight, or 8 hours, then drain.  Continue to rinse and drain 2-3 times per day.  When the alfalfa sprouts have little green leaves and the mung beans are about 1" long (really, you can use them anytime once they begin to sprout, but I like them a bit longer for stir fries) they are ready to go.

2. Heat a wok or large pan over medium heat.  Mix together the sauce.

3. Add chopped garlic and ginger to pan and cook 1 minute to release their fragrance.

Figure 1, laying out the veggies

4. Add cabbage and carrots, along with the sauce.  Cook until softened and cabbage begins to change colour.  This will depend on how you've chopped your veggies, julienned and hand sliced will cook a little bit longer.

5. Add mung beans and fry another 2-3 minutes, stirring to ensure the beans are cooked through.  Remove from heat and cool until easy to handle. 

6. In a large bowl, pot or plate, soak 2 rice wrappers at a time for about 1 minute (you can leave one in the pot while you work with the first one).  The wrapping is only a little tricky, but might take a couple of practices to get tight enough.  I've added some step by step photos to help. 

7. Lay out one rice wrapper on a flat surface (I use my cutting board).  Add a couple of spoonfuls of the cooked veggies to the end of the wrapper closest to you, leave a 1" border around the veggies.  Fig 1.

8. Using a fork to pry them apart, add a thick layer of alfalfa sprouts, about 1" high worth. Fig 2.  (Here you can see my set up - large pot for soaking rice wrappers, bowl of alfalfa sprouts, and off screen to the right, a plate for the finished wraps)

Figure 2, Adding alfalfa sprouts

Figure 3, wrapping the veggies

9. Fold the end of the wrapper up over the veggies, tucking it under them slightly and pulling it tight.  Fold the the right and left sides over this, creating an envelope.  Fig 3.

10. Keep rolling towards the end, pulling the veggies towards you as you go to wrap them tightly. 

11. Repeat with remaining veggies and wrappers.  How many wraps you get depends on how much filling you put in them.

Serve plain or with a little bowl of  dipping sauce, such as more Bragg and rice vinegar, or tamari sauce.

These little wraps are deceptively filling.  You can eat them as soon as you're done wrapping, or chill them in the fridge.  They also last a day or two in the fridge (honestly mine all get eaten within 24 hours so I can't say for sure how long they last).  As I mentioned, they also pack really well into a plastic baggy or container for traveling snacks, too.  So there you have it, wraps that are filled with cheap cabbage and sprouts, the fruits of your own hard labour, out tilling the soil in the hot sun, breaking your back, praying for rain... oh wait, it's not that hard at all!  Just spoon a couple of tablespoons of seeds into a jar and away you go!

What do you do with your cabbage?  I'd love to hear your ideas, and stay tuned for more of mine!  

*OAS Info: Carrots are high on the list of OAS foods.  The cooking process here *should* kill the allergen proteins and make the carrots safe to eat.  However, if you are very reactive you could try boiling them first, or eliminating them altogether.  If you have a problem with soy sauce, you could try substituting coconut aminos instead, or fish oil. 

This recipe is linked to the following wonderful sites:
the Gluten Free Weekly Meal Plan on www.musingsofahousewife.com,  Made From Scratch Mondays on www.allergiesandceliac.blogspot.com,  5 Dollar Dinners.com, Sugar Free Sunday on www.flipcookbook.com Fresh Bites Friday 
 

Gluten Free Irish Boxty

Boxty and Yogurt

Gluten Free Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) for St. Patrick’s Day

These are so good I had two last night after I made them - one for breakfast, and then another while I was taking these photos!  Oh, and those ones you see in the photo to your right?  I’m eating them right now as I type this. 

So in honour of St. Patrick’s Day this coming weekend, I’ve been looking at things green and Irish.  A couple of days ago I posted about the easy blender green juice I like to drink, and the little ritual involved in it.  I know, it’s not remotely Irish, but it is a lovely emerald green colour.  Today’s recipe is much more Irish inspired.  I’m going to share a gluten free version of Boxty, an Irish potato pancake.  There is even a poem (also with variations) dedicated to boxty:

Boxty on the griddle

Boxty on the pan

If you can’t make boxty

You’ll never get a man

So there you have it.  All of us who want a man must learn to make boxty.  Uhm… 

Anyway, I hope that any Irish folks out there won’t take offense to my alterations, but I found it a bit plain all on its own, and very potato-y.  Boxty is really just mashed or grated potatoes, some milk and some flour (although everyone seems to have a variation on that), then fried in butter or oil.  I wanted something with a bit more nutrition and flavour, but maintain the concept of a cheap potato pancake.  

Also, some people with OralAllergy Syndrome (like me) have problems with white potatoes.  So, I used half sweet potatoes (also because I got a 5lb bag for cheap at the farmer’s market this weekend) and half russet potatoes instead of all russets.   Sweet potatoes are healthier than regular potatoes – they have Vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, iron, and all kinds of other good antioxidants and minerals, but without the starch of regular potatoes. 

These make super cheap, gluten free pancakes, and can be had any time of day, breakfast, lunch, tea time, or for dinner.  Jazz them up with sour cream or yogurt (as I’ve done here), or syrup, whipped cream, jam, fruit, or even use them as a cheap, gluten free sandwich bread.  A bag of potatoes is cheap, and if you boil or bake several at once, you can use the rest for regular mashed potatoes, gnocchi, or shepherd’s pie.  Alternatively, if you have leftover mashed potatoes, use them to make this Irish boxty!

Boxty, Irish Potato Pancakes

Ingredients: (Makes about 12 pancakes)

2 medium sized russet potatoes*

2 smallish – medium sweet potatoes

(about 2 lbs potatoes total)

¾ c milk or milk substitute

¼ cornstarch*

½ c brown rice flour**  

1 ½ tsp salt + extra for sprinkling

¼ tsp pepper

1 egg or egg substitute

Flavourings as desired – I used ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ Tbsp rosemary and a pinch of dried parsley

* Can substitute potato starch, or a gf flour if desired.  I used cornstarch because it’s cheap and it binds the pancake together well.

** I grind my own rice flour with my coffee grinder, it’s slightly grainier than store bought, but in small amounts I don’t notice it at all, and it’s much cheaper than buying rice flour.

Directions

1. Grate one potato, sprinkle with salt, and place in a sieve over a bowl.  Periodically press on the grated potato to squeeze out excess starch and water.*

2. Peel the remaining potatoes and cut into large chunks.  In a large pot, cover and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.  

3. With a fork, mash the potatoes with ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl until smooth.  Add in the grated potato.

4. Whisk together the remaining ½ c milk with the egg, corn starch, flour, salt and pepper until smooth.  Add to the potatoes and mix until smooth.  Add any desired seasonings and blend again.

5. Heat a pan or griddle to medium –high heat.  Test this by dropping a drop of water on the pan – if it dances across the pan it is ready.  Add 1 Tbsp oil or butter to the pan.  Scoop batter on pan in pancake-sized drops (about ¼ c full)

6. Fry with a lid on for 4-5 minutes, until nicely browned on the bottom.  Flip, and fry 4-5 minutes uncovered on the opposite side. 

7. Remove from heat and repeat.  Serve warm with toppings.    

*Some people use all grated potatoes while others use all mashed potatoes.  Since I was using sweet potatoes I felt they would be better mashed, but wanted some grated for texture, and to lessen the starch.  This is simply personal preference and if you want to skip the extra step of grating the potatoes you can use all mashed instead. 

I readily confess I’m not very familiar with Irish cuisine, but am experimenting with Irish foods for this week’s theme.  If you have a favorite Irish dish, or an experience with boxty, I’d love to hear about it!  

*OAS Info: Potatoes are a common OAS food.  The boiling and cooking process here *should* kill the allergen proteins and make them safe to eat, but if in doubt use all sweet potatoes instead, or avoid altogether. 

Blender Green Juice (No juicer required! Just a blender)

Green Juice

In honour of St. Paddy's Day this coming weekend - something green.  This enchantingly emerald nectar has taken on an almost spiritual essence for me!  It's such a beautiful colour to look at, the flavour is light and smooth, and afterwards I always feel refreshed.  Plus, there's a secret ritual around it.

This green juice is naturally gluten free, but I've added it here because the bulk of my diet consists of naturally gluten free foods.  While I love me some cheap gluten free bread (like my sprouted lentil breads)I try to get the bulk of my calories from fruit and vegetables.  The greens I use in this juice, like kale and Swiss chard are super greens that are packed with important vitamins and nutrients.

So here's the ritual.  First, I clear a spot on the counter and put out two small glasses.  They're about the equivalent of a double shot glass (they were soy candles at one time.  When the candles were done, I melted the wax out, cleaned them, and now they serve as glasses).  Then, I pack my regular, cheap-o blender full of greens and other goodies.  I run it for a minute or two until the liquid looks almost clear.   

Finally, I fill the glasses and call my handsome partner in to the kitchen.   We each sprinkle a couple of grains of sea salt onto the frothy tops.  We pick up our glasses and make a toast.  We toast to something simple, and to accomplishing small things that are manageable, like "to having alkaline blood."  This is manageable, because by drinking green juice we are balancing out the acidity in our blood and making it more alkaline.  Because I make about 4 cups worth of juice, we are able to repeat this ritual 4-5 times right then and there.  We toast "to having a productive day," or "to enjoying a movie tonight," "to having a nice walk in the sunshine" or "to having a good sleep and waking up feeling refreshed," and various other little things we want to make happen.  That 5 minutes or so of toasting and drinking a healthy, refreshing and tasty juice is such a boost!  Not only is the juice itself a healthy blast, but taking the time to appreciate all the little things that can make a day better feeds our souls a bit too, and motivate us to make good things happen.  So go ahead - try some of this and toast to all the good, little things that can happen in your day!

There is nothing new about green juice; everyone seems to have their own version.  Mine changes depending on what's in the fridge, but there's a basic structure I follow, mostly green veggies, a piece of fruit for sweetness, and about 2 c water to smooth it out.  Also, I don't use a juicer.  I've had them and I've returned them.  I know they're great, but a) they're much more expensive to buy than a blender and b) I hate that so much of the produce ends up in the garbage (or hopefully the compost at least) once the juice is squeezed out.  It's more expensive to juice than blend, as it takes so much more produce to get a shot of juice. I don't mind the slightly pulpy juice my blender produces.  The longer I blend, the smoother it gets, especially with added water.  In the above photo, the juice is frothy because I had just blended it, if you let it sit for a couple of minutes, the forth settles a bit. 

This can actually be fairly filling, so make this in between meals as a shared snack, or as a meal supplement. 
Oh, and I call this nectar because that's what it is, literally.  Nectar comes from the Greek words necros and tar, meaning death-overcoming.  Pretty fitting for a juice that is utterly packed with nutrients and goodness. 


Ingredients:
2 large leaves of Swiss chard (or 1.5 c of spinach)
2 leaves of kale
4-5 leaves of romaine lettuce
1 apple or pear (if you, like me, have Oral Allergy Syndrome, use 1/4 c applesauce or pearsauce as the processing helps kill the allergen proteins)*
3-4 springs parsley (if you have OAS blanch this for a minute in boiling water)*
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 c cool water
1/4 c sprouts (optional) 
salt to taste (optional)

Directions: 
* Remove the thick stems from the kale and chard (the chard stems can be saved for soups or stir fries, but the kale is too tough)
*Pack all the ingredients (minus the salt) into a blender and pour the water over top.  This should fill a 6c blender.  Blend on high for a good minute or two. 
* Sprinkle with a couple of grains of sea salt (or regular salt), if desired.
* Toast your partner, your kids, or yourself, and enjoy your day knowing that you have given yourself a shot of nectar. 

What do you like in your green juice?

*OAS Info: See the notes within the recipe for substituting and making this safer for OAS folks.