Swiss Chard Salad Wraps with Apple Slaw (Vegan Option)

Swiss chard salad with crunchy cabbage apple slaw and healthy ACV dressing make a delicious, nourishing lunch wrap. Make this recipe to utilize seasonal produce for Labor Day!

Each of the bundles are vegetarian, refined sugar free, full of fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, and protein! Plus, there are dairy free and vegan wraps recipe options.

If you love to use seasonal produce as much as I do, this recipe is calling your name! It’s September, so we have healthy fruits and veggies galore to choose from.

Even better, Labor Day is next week, and maybe you have a picnic or cookout planned.

So, it’s the perfect reason to celebrate the end of summer with this nourishing, plant-based powerhouse picnic!

SEPTEMBER SEASONAL PRODUCE

First, grab a partner and head off to the apple orchard to pick a bushel full of ripe red or green apples. Be sure to pick enough to make this recipe, but ALSO enough to make Impossibly Easy Paleo Pear Apple Pie!

Next, head down to your nearest farmer’s market or produce stand. Take a BIG bag with you so that you can stock up on the following:

• Swiss chard or rainbow chard – We’ll talk about this fantastic veggie in just a minute
• carrots –  these will bring some crunch to your lunch. Oh, and again, buy a few extra. This way, you can serve the wraps with a bowl of vegan Creamy Carrot-Tomato Soup. Yum!
• green onions – otherwise known as scallions

Obviously, you’ll need to stop at the grocery store for a few other ingredients for this recipe, too.  For a full ingredient list, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Swiss chard salad wraps

Now, let’s chat about the star of the show… SWISS CHARD! In order to make this vegan wraps recipe, you’ll need those beautiful leafy greens, right?

Nerdy nutrition fact –

Chard comes in a variety of colors and types. But in general, it’s a great source of vitamins and minerals, including:

• potassium
• magnesium
• calcium
• copper,
• vitamins K, A, and C.

Plus, it can also help reduce inflammation in the digestive tract. Yay for digestion and an anti-inflammatory diet!

Now, pair that with apple, which is rich in soluble fiber and quevertin (another antioxidant), and you’ve got yourself a powerhouse salad wrap!

The Filling – cabbage apple slaw

The nourishment isn’t just in the outer wrapper; it’s all up inside, too! Take a peek at these nutritious, delicious ingredients that will become the filling for the wraps.

• Cabbage – Take your pick of green or red cabbage. I made these with green cabbage, but red cabbage apple slaw would be fantastic too. The rainbow of colors means extra nutrition is inside
• Apples – Choose a crunchy apple with a firm flesh. My favorites are green Granny Smith or Red Gala apples
• Parsley – You’ll want the flat leaf Italian parsley, not the curly variety. I use it for flavor but also because it gives us minty fresh breath. 🙂
• Protein – This is optional, but gluten free whole grains like quinoa, rice, millet, and even buckwheat are great sources of plant based protein.
• Sunflower seeds – The seeds are another good source of plant based protein and a good source of non heme iron!
• Yogurt ACV dressing – The dressing for the slaw has a base of apple cider vinegar. Check out my detox ACV drink recipe post to learn about the benefits of apple cider vinegar.

How to make Swiss chard salad wraps

1. Trim, blanch, and shock the chard. Slice the large stem off of the leaves and then blanch them in a pot of boiling water for two minutes. This won’t cook them; it’s just going to soften them a little so they’ll be easier to roll up. Then, immediately drop the leaves into an ice water bath to stop the cooking (this process is called shocking).

In addition to preventing the chard from over cooking, the ice water bath also helps to keep the nutrients in the vegetable rather than losing them to the boiling water.

NOTE: If you want to use rice, quinoa, or another gluten free grain for the filling, this is a great time to start cooking it. Or use any leftovers you have on hand!

2. Make the salad dressing. This is self explanatory. Just add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine!

The only thing you should know is that, depending on the type of yogurt you use, the dressing may be thicker than you like it. If so, just add a bit more apple juice to thin it out.

Personally, I like it to be thick. I make extra and then dip the Swiss chard wraps into it!

3. Make the cabbage apple slaw.

Making the slaw really couldn’t be much easier, especially if you can find ready-to-use cabbage coleslaw mix in the produce section.

If you can’t find any, it isn’t a problem. You can just thinly slice some cabbage and shred the carrots yourself.

Place all of the slaw ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine.

4. Assemble.

Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of the slaw mix and the cooked grain (if you’re using it) near the top edge of each chard leaf .

Fold the sides inward and then roll the leaf all the way up. It’s that easy!

Serving suggestions

As I mentioned earlier, you can serve the wraps with extra dressing for dipping. Or, if it’s a cool day, make some soup to serve along with them.

If you aren’t in the mood for wraps, that’s not a problem either!

Just add everything together in a bowl with chopped Swiss chard (raw or cooked) and make a large Swiss chard salad!

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Alright my friends, that’s a wrap! Get it? Corny Cotter moment. In all seriousness, I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend. Stay safe!

LC