I had this for lunch yesterday when I got home from the gym. Super yum! Though, I once made this wrap as a midnight snack and woke up the next morning feeling great. It was probably due to the fact that I didn’t go order off of some late night, drive-thru dollar menu or maybe it was because I got some food in me after having a few alcoholic beverages? Who knows? 😉 Whatever the case may be, this wrap is so easy (and relatively healthy), its perfect for an on-the-go lunch (and hey, even a slightly intoxicated person can make it!)
Before I give you the recipe, let me go on a little tangent about lentils and beans. As much as I would love to always cook my own lentils and beans, most of the time I’m just trying to be quick about things. So, I do go with canned beans the majority of the time these days. I wish I had time to do everything 100% from scratch, and maybe one day I will, but until I’m retired…I’ll probably be doing more convenience cooking than anything else. And by convenience cooking I do not mean Hamburger Helper and those weird potato flakes from a box. I try to keep it healthy here, and I hope everyone else wants to do the same. I try not to buy much from a box, but I really cannot resist Trader Joe’s steamed lentils (Actually, they come in a bag that’s in a box…does that still count as boxed food?) They are in the cold section near the veggies and everyone should buy them. I put them in veggie stir fry, soup, salad, and of course, this wrap. They are delicious and best of all, already cooked. Hooray!
P.S. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area, I’m terribly sorry. Cook lentils according to package instructions 🙂
Red bell pepper, 6 or so slices (julienne cut, which means thin, long strips…similar to a matchstick)
Cucumber, 6-8 slices (1/4 inch thick, I prefer hothouse or English cucumbers)
2 tbsp. hummus (your favorite flavor, I used Mediterranean from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 c. cooked lentils (I used them cold for this wrap, but heat them up if you like)
Baby spinach, just a handful
1 large tortilla
In a nutshell, spread the hummus on the tortilla and put the rest of the ingredients on top, wrap it up and enjoy!
If you want a more in depth look at how I roll, please read on….
I like to heat my tortilla up just a bit to make it more pliable, nothing worse than your wrap splitting right down the middle! I do it directly on my flat top burner which works really well, or just pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Get all of your veggies sliced and have hummus, lentils and spinach standing by. Place your heated tortilla on a cutting board, this will give you a nice flat space to get your wrap on 😉
Spread the hummus in the middle of your tortilla in a horizontal type line, leaving a couple inches at each end. I find it best to build your wrap in the shape of what the end product will be (oblong, right in the center) Some people tend to spread and build in a circular shape, probably because a tortilla is round…I find this will cause problems later when you try to fold it up. (side note: I still had tomato jam left and spread some on top of the hummus…yum!)
Next, put the lentils evenly over top of the hummus. Then place your bell peppers in a horizontal line, followed by the cucumbers. Top with spinach and you’re ready to roll.
For my wrapping method, I use both hands to flip the ends in first. While holding the ends in with all of my fingers, I use my thumbs to flip the bottom flap over. It should almost cover all ingredients in the wrap. If you press with your hands the ends should stay down. This allows you to really get that flap over the contents of your wrap. Once everything is contained, flip the wrap over, away from you, covering the top flap.
Now, if you don’t feel comfortable wrapping it this way, just fold one end in and leave the other side open. You just need one closed end to keep all of those little lentils from falling out. Either way you wrap it, its still going to taste awesome. Doesn’t matter what it looks like.
Before you wrap it should look like this:
© 2011 Jenni Baker
I’m thinking I should have included some wrap tutorial photos here. I know that my lovely man is very wrap challenged…if there is anyone else out there who has this problem let me know and I’ll totally create a post all about twisting up your favorite things into one perfect wrap!
What Jenni Cooks 