Lauren’s Kitchen:  It’s a Wrap!

So I am a little obsessed with the best lunch hack ever—swiss chard rolls. I am so into this that I’ve been keeping a steady stock of chard in my fridge—crazy right? Well crazy-good is what I have to say. Chard rolls/wraps have been around for some time on the raw scene but it wasn’t until my friend and chef extraordinaire Kelly Ritter made a scrumptious batch for a recent team meeting that I got hooked. It also finally sunk in that I could totally make these on my own and with a huge variety of fillings—including leftover kale salad and avocado which, by the way, happens to be double delicious wrapped up in a chard leaf!

Because a recipe isn’t really required I thought the best way to get you hooked too was to share a list of my favorite fillings, this Pinterest board I created for further inspiration, and some visual guides for turning that wild leaf into a charming finger food.

The chard leaf can be prepped a variety of ways as pictured below. My personal favorite is to split the leaf along the spine, using it later chopped in soup or salad, placing the filling along the wider bottom portion and rolling up toward the narrow tip.

With that method you will end up with smaller but more manageable rolls.

Alternatively you can use the whole leaf as shown here and slice in half once filled.

Once you choose a method that works for you, the fun can begin! I find using a spread as a base is helpful in keeping the chopped fruit and or vegetables you add in place. Here are a few of my go to combinations:

Hummus/Avocado/Red Pepper Slices

Cashew Spread/Left over Kale Salad

Mashed Avocado/Jicama Strips/Mango

Another note in closing….this is happy food, I guarantee making and eating these will make you smile!