Juicy Foods: Avocado-Mandarin Lettuce Wraps with Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa

Rolled Romaine Avocado-Mandarin Wraps

Crunchy romaine lettuce leaves make perfect fresh wraps. These tasty rolls are stuffed with buttery avocado, succulent Mandarin orange pieces, and zesty Chinese mustard sprouts. Served with a warm and spicy salsa of grilled mushrooms, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes in a Mediterranean-inspired dressing, the wraps are a filling, fun way to roll up your salad to enjoy with mixed vegetables.

Lettuce wraps:
You'll need: Romaine lettuce leaves, avocado, mandarin orange, chinese mustard sprouts, lemon juice, olive oil, agave syrup, minced basil, cracked black pepper, salt.

Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa:
You'll need: mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, sprouted sunflower seeds, dried thyme, oregano, summer savory, pinch sage, cayenne, olive oil, lemon juice

Here's How to Do It

The Wraps: Break the core from the bottom of the romaine lettuce, separate leaves. Cut bottom 1/5 from each leaf to remove the thick stem. Wash and dry the leaves, and spritz with lemon juice, and a light sprinkling of salt, if desired. Roll each leaf up, gently cracking the center rib with your fingers as you roll. Let leaves uncurl, and set aside.

In a large bowl, 2 T whisk olive oil, 1 T lemon juice, 1 t agave syrup, and 1 T minced basil together. Add 1/4 C sprouted sunflower seeds. Peel and dice mandarin orange into small pieces. Add to marinade. Skin, seed and cut avocado lengthwise into long slices. Carefully add to bowl and coat with marinade.

Zucchini and Mandarin Orange Compliment One Another

The Salsa: In a small bowl, whisk 2 T olive oil, 1 t lemon juice, with 2 t of mixed dried thyme, oregano, summer savory; add a pinch of sage and cayenne pepper to taste. Rinse and pat dry mushroom, slice and add to marinade. Mix well to coat each piece with oil and herbs, and allow flavors to blend together in marinade for 20+ minutes.

Herbed Mushrooms Ready for the Grill

Grill until mushrooms are soft and juicy, then add cubed zucchini and cheery cherry tomatoes, halved, and grill for a few minutes more. Put salsa in a serving dish, and lightly sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper.

Mediterranean Mushroom Salsa with Sunflower Seeds

To Assemble: Place a lettuce leaf flat, and line slices of avocado and pieces of orange along the wider top part of the leaf.

Wraps roll up easily along 'pre-cracked' center rib

Cover vegetables with a generous pinch of chinese mustard sprouts, and roll from top down. Place on platter with rolled edge to the bottom. Garnish with a slice of avocado, a few sprouts and some mandarin orange.