July 23, 2020
With summer in full swing, it’s been easier than ever to work fresh produce into my meals. My trips to the grocery store have decreased from once per week to once per two weeks. In between trips to the grocery store, I try to work in as many pantry ingredients as possible. I always have pasta, rice, and flour on hand to whip up a quick meal. These three pantry staples have played a major role in many of my weekday meals. When I do make a trip to the grocery store, I try to stock up on as much fresh produce as I can. The moment I return home from the store, I prep as much of the veggies as I can as a way to extend the shelf life of the veggies. Produce with shorter self-life gets worked into my meals first. If I’m unable to use the fresh produce within one week, I freeze the fruit or veggie as a way to extend its shelf life. Produce with longer shelf life gets reserved for meals later down the road. This method has worked exceptionally well in helping me plan my meals throughout the weeks. Breakfast is usually the easiest meal to prepare in our household because Kevin and I have gotten into our routine of enjoying smoothies and toast for breakfast. I love to toss in a combination of fruits and leafy greens into my smoothies. This ensures I start my day off with multiple servings of fruits and veggies. Since Kevin and I have started teleworking back in March, I have been making a smoothie for breakfast almost every weekday. A glass of smoothie with a side of lightly buttered toast has been the perfect way to jumpstart my mornings. Lunch usually features a rotation of my favorite rice or grain bowls packed with veggies and some form of protein. Lately though, I’ve been experimenting with a variety of veggie and protein packed wraps. Outside of fried rice, wraps are one of my favorite ways to use up bits and pieces of produce lying around in my fridge. While experimenting with wraps one day, I came up with a super flavor packed homemade flour wrap filled with seasoned chicken, cilantro, and kale. My cumin chicken, cilantro, and kale wraps feature chicken seasoned with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, and white pepper. I like to season the chicken the evening before and cook it the next day for lunch. The blend of spices works exceptionally well in packing the chicken with tons of flavor when cooked. The cooked and slightly cooled chicken is layered in homemade flour wraps with a bunch of cilantro and kale rolled tightly together. The wraps were packed with flavor and made for the perfect satisfying lunch on a busy week. The key to these savory, flavorful wraps is using homemade flour wraps. My homemade flour wraps came about when I made my roasted chicken and hoisin wraps a few weeks ago (loosely inspired by my love for Peking duck wraps). The wraps were so good, I made them for lunch multiple times over the last few weeks. The best part was how easy the wraps were to pull together last minute for a truly satisfying light lunch.
For the cumin chicken:
· 2 chicken breasts
· ¼ teaspoon cumin
· ¼ teaspoon chili powder
· ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
· ¼ teaspoon paprika
· ½ teaspoon sugar
· ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
· ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
· ¼ teaspoon white pepper
For the flour wraps:
· 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading the dough
· ½ teaspoon baking powder
· ½ teaspoon kosher salt
· ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
· 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
· ¼-½ cup lukewarm water
· ¼ cup all-purpose flour
· vegetable oil, for frying
For the rest of the wraps:
· 3 kale leaves, chopped
· 6 sprigs cilantro
Directions:
The night before:
1) Season the chicken breasts with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, sugar, salt, black pepper, and white pepper. Place the seasoned chicken into a container with a lid (or plastic storage bag). Store the chicken in the bottom shelf of the refrigerator overnight.
The next day:
2) Remove the container with the chicken from the refrigerator. Prepare the flour wraps by combining the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil in a bowl. Gradually add in a quarter cup of lukewarm water, adding more water as needed. Begin kneading the ingredients until a dough is formed. If the dough is too wet, add more flour. If the dough is too dry, add more water. Continue to knead until a pliable dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Place a large plate (or sheet of plastic wrap) over the bowl. Let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes.
3) While the dough is resting, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil into the skillet. Once hot, transfer the seasoned chicken breasts to the skillet. Cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and let cool for 15 minutes. Once the chicken has cooled, cut the chicken breasts into about six strips.
4) When the resting time for the dough is up, lightly flour a working surface. Transfer the dough to the working surface. Use a rolling pin to gently press down and roll out the dough into a thick circle. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough in half. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Set aside the balls of dough. To make the wraps, prepare a small bowl of flour using the ¼ cup of all-purpose flour. Sprinkle a small bit of flour onto a surface and begin rolling out the pieces of dough balls into a flat circle as thin as possible. Repeat this process with the other dough ball.
5) Add half a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Transfer one of the flat circles to the pan. Fry for about 30 seconds on each side. Transfer the fried flour wrap to a plate. Repeat this process with the other dough circle. Set aside.
6) To build the wraps, grab a piece of flour wrap, top with half of the chopped kale and 3 sprigs of cilantro towards the bottom center of the wrap. Top with three chicken strips. Fold the left and right sides of the wrap. Roll the wrap up as tightly as possible into a cylinder shape. Repeat with the other flour wrap. Cut each rolled wrap in half, if desired, and take a bite.
Takeaways: I love the contrast of the warm flour wrap with the crunchy kale, fresh cilantro, and seasoned chicken. Other crunchy vegetables such as shredded cabbage and carrots also work well in the wraps. For a vegan alternative, swap the chicken out and fill with seasoned crispy tofu strips.