Caribbean Tuna Collard Green Wraps

Fresh mango and sweet red bell peppers add a burst of flavor to one of my favorite pantry staples, canned tuna, in these collard green wraps. This was my first time using collard green wraps - side note, I'm not at all opposed to flour wraps or tortillas - but felt inspired to try something new after reading an article in the Food and Nutrition magazine about kale's "sister". Yes, collard greens are closely related to kale, and because of this they have similar nutrients and health benefits.

This recipe is meant to make about 4 or 5 wraps, because bunches of collard greens at the store tend to come with about this many good leaves. If you're only making 1 or 2, just decrease the ingredients accordingly, and you may consider using a single-serving tuna pouch (~2.5 oz) instead of a 5-oz can. The beauty of wraps or salads and such is that you don't have to use the exact quantities listed and can easily make substitutions for what you've got. The most important thing is to not over-fill the insides or you won't be able to actually wrap it all up.

RECIPE

Makes 4-5 wraps. | Prep time: 15 mins

Ingredients

2 (5-ounce) cans tuna, drained

1 small lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup fresh mango, diced (about 1 medium sized mango)

1/2 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced into sticks

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1 small avocado, cut into chunks

1-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

4 or 5 collard greens, washed and dried

Instructions

1. Combine tuna with lime juice, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt & pepper in small bowl.

2. Prep the collard greens by washing the leaves and drying them, being careful not to tear them in the process. Cut the stem so that it is even with the green leafy portion. Flip the collard green over so that the large central stem is accessible. To help make the collard green roll up and form a wrap, use a knife to shave off the top portion of the stem without damaging its connection to the leaf. (Here's a video to help; skip to 1:45 for this portion)

3. Spread the tuna across the collard green, perpendicular to the stem, leaving a couple inches of room from the ends. Repeat for remaining collard greens. Then evenly divide and layer mango chunks, cucumbers, red bell peppers, red onion, avocado and cilantro to each wrap.

4. Fold in the two sides of the collard green over the insides, and start rolling the collard green up to form a wrap. Cut in half to eat or roll it up in cling wrap and refrigerate to eat later.

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