Tuesday: Mango-Avocado Wraps

 

In the mood for a lighter dinner? Here's the perfect vegetarian/vegan meal that I tore out of a Vegeterian Times magazine. I've been trying to add more vegetarian/vegan meals to our families repertoire, and these wraps/rolls have gotten A plus reviews. The best part? There is absolutely NO cooking involved, which means my house stays nice and cool on a hot, hot day. 

 My kids don't usually go for mango because of their stringy texture, but when they are all wrapped up and mixed with other flavors, they don't mind it. Plus, the mango adds a bit of sweetness while you get creaminess from the avocado mixed with cream cheese. YUM! Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole to "wrap" it up. 

Mango-Avocado Wrap Recipe
Serves: 4 Prep: 20-30 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes 

 2/3 cup avocado, diced (1-2 avocados)

2 TB lime juice
2 tsp lime zest
2/3 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegan or light cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced both green and white parts
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp chile sauce
8 Vietnamese rice paper wrappers (I use 4 whole-wheat tortillas)
2 cups of alfalfa sprouts (or whatever sprouts you like best)
1 1/2 cups mango, thinly sliced (2-3 mangos)

1. Combine first 3 items in a small bowl. Stir in bell pepper through chile sauce. Set aside.
2. If using rice papers, fill large bowl with warm water. Submerge each wrapper for 10 sec in water, until it becomes soft. let rest on flat work surface for 30 seconds until it becomes for pliable. 
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup avocado mixture if using rice wrappers. Spoon 1/3 cup avocado mixture if using tortillas. Top with alfalfa sprouts and mango slices. Divide evenly among the tortillas or wrappers.  Wrap up tightly. Slice in half. Serve with a garden salad.

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Plan and Prep Ahead 

Here are some helpful techniques to make life a little easier once dinner time hits. These tips will especially help those that work full-time and don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. 

~Make avocado mixture ahead of time. Put avocado seed in middle of bowl to prevent from browning. Keep in fridge until time of use.
~Chop up veggies ahead of time.
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Who likes to CHANGE IT UP? 

~Replace sprouts with chopped green or red cabbage.

~Instead of bell peppers, chop up cherry tomatoes.

~Try sliced pineapple or papaya instead of mango.

~Use lemon instead of lime. 

~ Slice up some red onion instead of green onion. 

~Try a soft cheese like brie instead of cream cheese.