Meatless Monday: Nori Wraps with Orange Cashew Cream

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Nori Wraps with Orange Cashew Cream
Oil-free, wheat-free

Light but filling, flavorful but simple, these wraps are my favorite summertime dish. The color of the nori sheets is a dark, shiny, green—almost black—and adds a striking contrast to the colorful filling.

Orange Cashew Cream
1 cup (150 g) raw cashews
½ to ¾ cup (120 to 175 ml) fresh squeezed orange juice
1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) tamari soy sauce

Wraps
4 nori sheets (the kind used for sushi; found in the Asian section of a grocery store)
2 carrots, grated or shredded
1 medium beet, grated
¼ head red or green cabbage, shredded
¼ cup (12 g) alfalfa sprouts
2 avocados, sliced or mashed
Salt, for sprinkling
Black sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions
To make the cashew cream, add the cashews, ½ cup (120 ml) of the orange juice, and tamari to a blender and blend until you have a creamy consistency. Taste, tweak if necessary, thin out with more juice, if needed, and then transfer to a bowl. To make the wraps, set out all your grated veggies in separate bowls so you can grab them as needed to make your wraps.
Place a nori sheet on the counter or cutting board. Leaving a 1-inch (2.5 cm) border at each edge of the nori sheet, place a thin layer of grated carrot, grated beet, shredded cabbage, and alfalfa sprouts on top of the nori sheet. Place the avocado in a horizontal line across the middle of the shredded veggies and do the same with the cashew sauce. Sprinkle on a little salt.

Working from the bottom, roll up the nori like a fat cigar, tucking in the veggies as you roll upward. You should have a neatly packed cylinder at the end. Use a little water to “seal” the seam. Serve as a wrap or use a sharp serrated knife to cut into 1½-inch (3.8 cm) rounds. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. You should have enough veggies to make 4 wraps. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds for a pretty presentation.

Yield: 4 wraps and ¾ cup (270 g) dressing

Serving Suggestions and Variations: If you do not like nori, use large lettuce leaves or whole raw or steamed collard leaves.

Per Serving: 352 Calories; 26g Fat (62.7% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 309mg Sodium

Compassionate Cooks’ Tip
Because the nori gets soft when it is wet, it is best to serve the wraps as soon as they are prepared.

In Color Me Vegan, author and vegan extraordinaire Colleen Patrick-Goudreau brings an edible rainbow of plant-based cuisine to your kitchen table with 150 flavorful recipes designed to boost your health and perk up your palate. With color as the guiding principle behind each section, Colleen shows vegetarians, vegans, and everyone in between exactly how phytonutrients—the most powerful, pigmented antioxidants on earth, found in everything from select fruits and vegetables, to grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds—can be expertly incorporated into your meals for the greatest nutritional punch.
From the “Color Me Blue” chapter, for example, you’ll be treated to recipes such as:
—Radicchio Fennel Salad with Caper Dressing
—Chilled Blueberry Mango Soup
—Lavender-Roasted Purple Onions
—Eggplant with Dengaku (Sweet Miso) Sauce
—Purple Plum Pie with Crumble Topping
From sensational starters and salads, to filling mains and sides, to crave-worthy desserts—in every color—each recipe is not just a feast for your stomach, but a feast for your eyes as well! Check out more about the book at http://www.colormevegan.com.