Leafy Green Pinwheels
By Amie Valpone
There’s something so refreshing about a New Year. It’s not only a time to set our intentions for the energy we want to invite into our lives but it’s also a time to look at what we’re eating and putting into our bodies. I talk a lot about this in my book, Eating Clean, which is a great resource for the New Year, but today we’re going to focus on a really clean, easy recipe that you can make for lunch or an afternoon snack that tastes delicious in under 10 minutes.
These adorable pinwheels are kid-friendly and they pack a punch in each bite. They’re loaded with lots of fiber from the collard greens, cucumber, spinach and mushrooms as well as protein from the tahini and a dose of healthy fat from the tahini and sesame seeds. If you’re never tried tahini, it’s found in the aisle of the food store near the peanut butter and it looks just like peanut butter but it’s a lighter color and instead of being made from peanuts, tahini is made from sesame seeds. It’s a great way to add flavor to any recipe, including sauces and dressings.
If you’re serving these pinwheels for guests, you can use toothpicks to hold them together, if desired, however the stickiness and thickness from the tahini will do a great job holding these together for you!
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
1 head collard greens, ends removed
2 Tbsp. tahini
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
½ cup packed baby spinach
4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced
¼ cup diced red onion, plus more for garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Sesame seeds
Directions
Blanch the collard greens by placing them in a large pot of boiling water one at a time for about 20 seconds or until they turn bright green and are tender. Then, immediately place each green in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes to shock the greens. You can place each green on paper towels to dry them out before slicing.
Slice each collard green widthwise into 1-inch strips with a sharp knife. Lay each strip on a flat surface, coat the strip with the tahini and then place the vegetables on top, followed by the sea salt, pepper and sesame seeds. Roll up the strips to form a “pinwheel shape” and place on a serving platter. Garnish with additional red onion and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper.
Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
