Makes about one cup sauce; summer roll servings vary
Café Gratitude is a natural foods restaurant with locations in San Francisco and Berkeley. A favorite dish is their collard-wrapped summer rolls. This is my approximation. You can improvise the fillings—mix and match as you like. Choose raw items that offer a range of textures, with plenty of crunch. Kids will enjoy wrapping their own green bundles. By the way, the dipping sauce makes a great sandwich or veggie burger spread, too.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons white miso (from Whole Foods)
- 2 tablespoons peanut, cashew or almond butter
- pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
- handful fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, basil or arugula)
- drizzle of honey or agave (optional)
- collard leaves, stems cut off
- any of the following, cut into long matchstick lengths: apple, peach, plum, carrot, cucumber, celery, radish, jicama, pear, raw beet, raw turnip
- ripe avocado, cubed
- strawberry halves
- sprouts such as sunflower, pea shoots, radish
- herbs like basil, mint, cilantro, parsley, dill or arugula (optional)
Method:
- For dipping sauce, blend first 8 ingredients (up to collards) together in a food processor until very smooth. Taste, then add the agave/honey if you like a hint of sweetness. Refrigerate. This step can be done a day or two ahead of time.
- Steam collard leaves until dark green and just pliable (less than one minute). Rinse under cool water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Lay a leaf out on a cutting board. Place a small amount of julienned fruits and vegetables or other ingredients on each leaf. Roll up to create a fat cigar-like shape. Repeat with each leaf. Serve with dipping sauce. Best eaten shortly after assembly.
