Teriyaki Chicken, Avocado, Collard Green Wrap

June is Blood Pressure Awareness Month. Looking to lower your sodium intake? Bread flies under the radar, but it's surprisingly one of the highest sources of sodium in the American diet. We're bringing you bread-less sandwich specials all month long to prove just how easy it is to cut back on the salt.

While I'm sure you've thought to wrap your sandwich fillings with lettuce, have you ever thought to give it a go with other greens? A large, lightly steamed collard green leaf has structure and flexibility -- just the right combination for keeping your sandwich together. Collard wraps are also a great choice if you're aiming to go gluten free, but be sure to substitute tamari for soy sauce in our recipe below.

Teriyaki Chicken, Avocado, Collard Green Wrap

Large, lightly steamed collard leaves are perfect for wrapping up sandwich fixings. Give it a whirl with our Teriyaki Chicken, Avocado, Collard Green Wrap. Our recipe can be made gluten free -- just swap tamari in for soy sauce.

Serving size: 1 wrap, Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the marinade:

2/3 ounce fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

2 cups water

1 1/2 tablespoons mirin (sweet cooking wine)

2 ounces sugar

2/3 ounce chopped green onion

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

For the teriyaki sauce:

2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

1 3/4 teaspoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/3 cup apple juice

1/4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoons water

For the wrap:

1/2 cup homemade teriyaki sauce (as above)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups cooked brown basmati rice

4 large collard leaves

8 ounces sliced avocado

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 cup julienned carrot

6 ounces julienned red bell pepper

Instructions

For marinade: Place all marinade ingredients into a pot and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove ginger and scallion. Cool completely and reserve.
For teriyaki sauce: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic , apple juice, sugar, ginger, and honey. Bring to boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Add to the teriyaki sauce, reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
Marinate chicken in teriyaki marinade for 2 hours. Discard excess marinade. Mark chicken on hot grill and finish in the oven; cook to internal temperature of 165˚F. Slice chicken breast.
Wash 2/3 cup dry brown rice and soak for 30 minutes. Drain. Boil 1-1/3 cup water, add rice, and cook 5 minutes.
Cut protruding stems off collard leaf. Lay flat, steam until slightly softened. Drizzle sliced avocado with lime juice. 6.In center of each collard leaf wrap place: 4 oz sliced chicken breast, 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce, ½ cup rice, 2 slices avocado, ¼ cup julienned carrot, ¼ cup julienned pepper. Wrap leaf up like a burrito and cut in half.

Nutrition info per 1 wrap: 430 cals, 13 gm fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 540 mg sodium, 46 gm carbohydrate, 12 gm sugar, 8 gm fiber, 32 gm protein

For more breadless sandwiches, check out our recipes for Turkey Rachel Sweet Potato Sandwich and Tofu Cucumber Banh Mi.

For more information about this article or others, please email us at FLIKblog@compass-usa.com.