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Cold Marinated Tofu and Avocado Collard Wraps with Lime and Cumin

Firm tofu marinated overnight in lime, cumin, and smoked paprika, rolled cold into blanched collard leaves with avocado, red pepper matchsticks, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

By Camille McLaughlin, RDN, LD, registered dietitian nutritionist

Built forAnti-InflammatoryBreakfast
Also fits High-Fiber High-Protein Low-Added-Sugar
Collard leaves dropped into boiling water for twenty seconds go from stiff and squeaking to deep green and pliable enough to roll like a tortilla. Inside goes tofu that has sat all night in lime, cumin, and smoked paprika until it tastes of all three, along with thick slices of avocado, red pepper cut to matchsticks, and enough cilantro to make the whole roll smell green.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

I wanted a breakfast I could hold in one hand on a morning when I am walking out the door, and everything in that category tends to be either a bar or a burrito. This is neither. A collard leaf blanched for twenty seconds rolls exactly like a soft tortilla, holds cold filling for three days without going soggy, and cuts on the diagonal into two neat halves that show what is inside. The whole batch takes half an hour on a Sunday, most of which is waiting for tofu to drain, and it makes eight wraps.

The tofu is the part that needs the night. Pressed properly and cut into fat batons, it goes into lime juice, cumin, smoked paprika, and olive oil and sits there absorbing all of it, because tofu that has not been marinated is exactly as dull as its reputation and tofu that has been is not. Blanching the collards matters as much. Twenty seconds in salted boiling water and then straight into ice water is enough to soften the stiffness out of the leaf and set the color, and any longer starts to break the leaf down so it tears when you roll it.

These eat like real food, not like a compromise. There is a good deal of tofu in every roll, the avocado makes each bite rich, and the pumpkin seeds and pepper matchsticks give you something to crunch, which cold food usually lacks. Lime and cumin keep it bright the whole way through, and the jalapeno sits just far enough back that you notice it at the end. I make them for weekday mornings, and they also turn up in my lunch bag more often than I planned.

Dark green collard wraps cut on the diagonal and standing cut side up on a wooden board, showing cross sections of golden marinated tofu batons, pale green avocado. Save
Prep: 30 minsCook: 8 minsTotal: 38 minsMakes: 4 servingsServing: 2 wraps

Ingredients

Serves4Amounts change with the number. The nutrition panel is per serving, so it stays the same.
  • 22 oz extra-firm tofu (about 1 1/2 blocks), drained and pressed
  • 8 large collard green leaves, the widest ones in the bunch
  • 2 ripe avocados, cut into thick slices
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
  • 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch lengths and split lengthwise
  • 3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
  • 3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
  • 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Press and marinate the tofu: Drain the tofu, wrap the blocks in a clean towel, and set something heavy on top for twenty minutes to drive out the water. Cut into batons about half an inch thick and four inches long. Toss with the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt, cover, and refrigerate at least four hours and preferably overnight, turning once.
  2. Toast the pumpkin seeds: Put the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat and shake the pan often. In four to five minutes they will pop, jump, and smell nutty. Tip them onto a cold plate straight away and let them cool, or they will keep toasting and turn bitter.
  3. Blanch and trim the collard leaves: Bring a wide pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water beside it. Shave the thick central rib flat with a paring knife held parallel to the leaf, then dip each leaf into the boiling water for twenty seconds only, until it turns bright deep green and goes limp. Move it straight to the ice water, then lay it flat on a towel and pat it dry.
  4. Build the wraps: Lay a leaf flat with the stem end toward you and slightly overlap a second leaf if yours are narrow. Place a quarter of the tofu batons in a line across the lower third, then a quarter of the avocado, pepper matchsticks, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. Keep the pile long and narrow rather than tall.
  5. Roll them tight: Fold the sides in over the ends of the filling, then roll from the bottom up, pulling back against the roll with your fingertips after each turn to keep it tight. Set each one seam side down. Cut on a sharp diagonal just before eating so the cross section shows.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size2 wraps
Calories449
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g41%
Saturated Fat 5g24%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 187mg8%
Total Carbohydrate 18g7%
Dietary Fiber 12g42%
Total Sugars 4g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 30g
Vitamin D 0.0mcg0%
Calcium 681mg52%
Iron 6.4mg36%
Potassium 1008mg21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are computed from USDA FoodData Central and are estimates. Per serving (2 wraps).

Variations

  • Chipotle and lime: Add half a teaspoon of chipotle powder to the marinade for a smokier, hotter roll.
  • Sesame and ginger: Marinate the tofu in lime, sesame oil, and grated ginger, and swap the cilantro for fresh mint.
  • Napa cabbage wrap: Use blanched napa cabbage leaves rather than collards for a paler, sweeter, more delicate roll.
  • Black bean: Add a quarter cup of rinsed black beans to each wrap, pressed lightly so they stay put.
  • Herb-heavy: Double the cilantro and add a handful of torn basil so the wrap reads mostly green when you cut it.

Storage & Leftovers

Rolled wraps keep three days in the refrigerator in a sealed container, seam side down and packed snugly so they cannot unroll. The collard leaf is the reason they hold up, since it stays firm where a flour tortilla would go damp and slack. Wrap each one in parchment if you are carrying them in a bag.

If you want four or five days, marinate the tofu and blanch the leaves ahead and store them separately, then roll one or two at a time. Blanched collard leaves keep flat and stacked between paper towels in a sealed bag, and the tofu only gets better as it sits in the lime and cumin.

Do not freeze these. Blanched collard turns to mush on thawing, avocado goes dark and slippery, and the pepper loses all of its snap. Everything about this recipe is built on cold and crisp, and freezing takes both away.

Notes & Tips

A few notes from my kitchen, mostly about the leaf, which is the part that decides whether a wrap holds or bursts.
  • Press the tofu longer than you think: Water still in the block dilutes the marinade and keeps the lime and cumin sitting on the surface rather than going in.
  • Shave the rib, do not cut it out: Cutting the central rib out splits the leaf in two. Laying a knife flat and shaving the rib down to the thickness of the leaf keeps it whole.
  • Twenty seconds, not thirty: Collard goes from pliable to fragile fast in boiling water, and an overcooked leaf tears the moment you roll it.
  • Dry the leaves properly: A wet leaf will not grip itself and the roll slides open. Pat both sides on a towel before you build.
  • Lay the filling long and low: A tall pile in the middle is the single most common reason a wrap bursts along the seam.
  • Cut just before eating: Cut faces dry out and the avocado dulls. Roll them whole, store them whole, and cut them on the diagonal at the table.

Nutrition & Mindful Eating

A handheld, cold breakfast built on tofu marinated overnight in lime and cumin, rolled into blanched collard leaves with avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds.
  • Tofu, avocado, collards, and pumpkin seeds each carry a different part of this wrap. The tofu is where nearly all the protein sits, the avocado gives it richness, the leaf and the pepper bring the fiber and the crunch, and the seeds add a toasted bite through the middle.
  • Tofu is pressed soybean curd set with a calcium salt, which is why a block of it carries so much calcium alongside its protein, and pressing and marinating are what turn it from bland to something that tastes of lime and cumin all the way through.
  • Collard greens are sturdy enough to roll because their leaves are thick and fibrous, and that same structure is where their fiber comes from. A quick dip in boiling water sets the color deep green and brings out a mild sweetness the raw leaf keeps hidden.
  • Avocado sliced thick is what makes each roll feel substantial, and the fat it carries is mostly monounsaturated, the kind that also helps you take up the fat-soluble vitamins in the greens beside it.
  • Lime, cumin, smoked paprika, and jalapeno are doing all the flavor work here. The acid keeps a cold wrap bright from the first bite to the last, the cumin gives it warmth and depth, and the smoked paprika supplies a savoriness you would usually get from cooking something.
  • As you eat, notice how the collard leaf holds its snap around a filling this soft, and take the second half slowly enough to find the jalapeno at the back of the bite rather than eating it on the way out the door.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip blanching the collards?

You can, and people do, but raw collard is stiff and cracks along the fold when you roll it. Twenty seconds in boiling water costs almost nothing and gives you a leaf that behaves like a soft tortilla. If you truly want to skip it, massage each raw leaf with a little olive oil and salt for a minute instead.

What else can I put in these?

Tempeh sliced thin works and brings a firmer, nuttier bite, though it wants a longer marinade and is better steamed for ten minutes first. Shredded cooked chicken or flaked canned tuna tossed in the same lime and cumin dressing also roll well, if you want it away from soy.

My wraps keep falling apart. What am I doing wrong?

Almost always too much filling, or filling piled high rather than laid long. Keep the pile narrow and about an inch tall, tuck the sides in before the first turn, and pull back against the roll as you go so it tightens rather than loosens. Overlapping two leaves also helps if your collards are small.

Will the avocado brown inside the wrap?

Barely, because it is sealed in by the leaf and it has lime juice from the tofu marinade around it. Slice the avocado thick rather than thin, since thick pieces hold their color much better, and roll the wraps tight enough to keep air out.