The Lettuce Swap For Sturdy And Hearty Wraps

When it comes to lettuce wraps, the leafy green you choose to cradle your ground pork, tuna, steak, chicken, or whatever fillings you love is key. After all, you don't want things to fall apart due to instability. 

Bib and romaine lettuce are reliable, easy go-to's for this meal, but softer greens like butterhead and delicate green leaf lettuce can easily tear or break when you build your wraps. This is why you might want to consider using a heartier leaf like kale or collard greens for this breadless meal.

Kale and collard greens are similar in strength because they are both from the cabbage family; However, their shapes are quite different. Kale leaves are long and have a rippled edge while collard greens look more like a large circular fan, which makes them easier to roll up. But before you make your wrap with either, you may want to consider their taste.

Both kale and collard greens can be bitter on the tongue, but there is a way to temper that biting taste of each so they are ready to hold whatever ingredients you want to pile onto them before you roll them up. 

When it comes to using kale for your wraps, it is a good idea to add olive oil to your recipe. Simply drizzle a little oil on the rippled edges of the kale and gently rub them with your fingers until they turn dark green. Then you want to wash those leaves to remove the glucosinolates that form new bitter tastes during the massaging process. This will make them slightly softer and take the edge off the flavor of raw kale. 

While collard greens tend to have a milder taste than kale, they still have an aggressively sharp flavor. But you can turn to a favored seasoning to make these raw leaves more enjoyable for your taste buds. Simple sprinkle a little salt on them, or even less if you are watching your sodium intake.