Fresh and Summery Gluten-Free Vegetarian Wraps with Dandelion, Mango & Chevre: Food From the Garden

This recipe is lactovegetarian (contains goats milk), gluten-free, egg-free, wheat-free, nut-free. The wraps used are lactose-free. Goats milk is often well tolerated by people who are sensitive to lactose.

Gluten-free wraps served hot or cold -just as good!

In the Northern Hemisphere, summer is fast approaching, and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is coming to an end. Still, whether you’re seeing the first buds in your garden or watching the last flowers slowly hang their heads, you are most certainly making the most of whatever sun you can see. And so, a sunny, fresh and light meal is a welcome thing for all.

Besides, these delicious gluten-free wraps with dandelion and chevre are just as good toasted as they are fresh, so even if you’re feeling a bit chilly, this is just the ticket!

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Making the most of a messy garden

If you’ve been reading my last few posts, you’ll know that I find myself living in a bit of a crazy building site these days. Our newly acquired house is being renovated from top to toe, inside and out, and is essentially being stripped back to nothing only to be rebuilt. As fun as it is to make a dream come true, it is also pretty darn stressful.. and messy!

Surrounding our disarranged house is a vast garden. Or mud pit, more like it, at present. One of the very reasons we chose this house was the mature garden on abundant land -something I had been daydreaming of after years of London rentals and Australian apartment living. And, the ongoing build tries my patience. I just want to get amongst it! I absolutely can’t wait to plant cherry trees and create little pockets of wildflowers. I dream of warm summer nights around the fire pit, and friends over for Pimm’s parties and bbq’s.. But alas, it has to wait all the very way till next year. Sigh.

However, not all hope (or grass) is lost. In a far corner of the garden, an old vegetable patch is left unscathed. Although a bit unkempt after a couple of years without the proper TLC, some trusty old favourites are finding their way to the surface after a hard winter.

-Raspberry bushes, rhubarb and strawberry plants are slowly but surely breaking ground, and there’s a rickety old garden bench that still does it’s trusty job on a sunny day.

In the efforts of keeping our sanity and satisfying our eagerness, we have decided to make the very most of our little green corner during these months of cement and scaffolds. And, although I’m positively bursting with eagerness to plant everything from melons to passion fruit, we’ve settled for a few potted herbs and pre-cultivated vegetables. We’ve got cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicum, spring onions, chives and lemon thyme. We’ve also attempted beetroot and carrots from seeds, but it remains to be seen if our thumbs are, in fact, sufficiently green for them to amount to anything at all.. But giving it a go makes it feel as though we’re getting somewhere, at least!

From the above enthusiasm, you might assume I’m some sort of seasoned gardener, but I can assure you I am no such thing. I’m a novice at best, a fool at worst 😉

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Dandelion as food and medicine

The last week has been a warm and sunny pre-summer tease, and the little garden we have is thriving. With all these gorgeous, home-grown, organic vegetables popping up everywhere, I thought it only fitting that I’d share a recipe that makes use of them!

The closer to summer we get, the less I feel like roast dinners and hot food. I’m drawn to salads and fresh, light meals, and I really want to use what grows around me. Aside from the obvious veggie garden, nature provides its own little treats which we should make the most of. One of these is dandelion.

Dandelion makes a gorgeous addition to any salad or wrap. The crisp leaves and distinct flavour makes this familiar garden plant an exciting alternative to lettuce. Dandelion is also rich in vitamin-A, C, iron and calcium, and is frequently used in alternative medicine for its health benefits.

Dandelion grows freely in gardens and parks. The leaves are best picked before the buds blossom. Once the plant is in bloom, the leaves turn a bit bitter. Pick the smaller leaves, and please don’t pick them next to the road.. Road dust and exhaust don’t make for very good special ingredients.

From my veggie garden, I’ve picked some fresh chives, spring onions, red capsicum and cucumber. You may, of course, buy your ingredients from the store, but don’t be afraid of attempting to grow them yourself. These vegetables are super easy to grow, and you don’t even need a garden. A pot by the kitchen window will do!

Gluten-free vegetarian wraps with dandelion, mango and chevre

The lovely people at Schär have sent me some of their ready-to-eat gluten-free wraps to try. They live on the shelves of your local store and come in packs of two. They will last quite a while in the pantry, but I’ve also frozen these packs before, and they come out just as nicely after some time in the freezer. Apart from the obvious uses, they are also well suited as pizza bases -something my husband discovered during one of his pizza craving moments 😉

For this recipe, I used what was ready to be picked in my garden, but you can easily swap vegetables and herbs to suit what grows in yours. I haven’t listed amounts, as it really comes down to your preference.. Be generous or lean with the contents, it’s all up to you!

This recipe is lactovegetarian (contains goats milk), gluten-free, egg-free, wheat-free, nut-free. The wraps used are lactose-free. Goats milk is often well tolerated by people who are sensitive to lactose.

You’ll need:

• Gluten-free wraps (I used these gluten-free wraps from Schär)
• Mature (soft) chevre
• Spreadable goats cheese
• Red capsicum (I like the sweet variety)
• Soft, ripe mango
• Spring onion
• Cucumber
• Chives
• Dandelion leaves

Method:

1. Start by chopping the chives finely and stirring it into the spreadable goats cheese.
2. Roughly julienne the capsicum, spring onion, cucumber and mango (it doesn’t have to be pretty. Just try to make the pieces long and slim).
3. Cut the chevre in long, slim pieces -like the vegetables.
4. Carefully clean the dandelion leaves, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut off the coarser parts of the stem (the base).
5. Soften the wraps lightly in the microwave. A few seconds will do. This step is optional -it depends on how you like your wraps, and what brand of wraps you’re using.
6. Spread the soft goats cheese with the chives onto the wraps, covering most of the surface. If the wraps are very hot, wait a little so that the cheese doesn’t melt.
7. Position the ingredients int he centre of the wrap and roll tightly. I like to use toothpicks to hold the wrap in place if need be.
8. If you don’t want to toast them, then serve straight away. Otherwise, if you’d like to serve them hot, either pop them in the oven at 200 degrees celsius, or in a panini grill, for a few minutes, until the cheese has melted to your liking.

Best served in the garden, along with a small glass of white wine or some fresh lemonade. Yum!

Dandelion has many uses -which is your favourite?

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This post was sponsored by Schär, however, all opinions expressed are my own. I only accept sponsored posts for products that I love!