Rachel Morningstar, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, won our American Grown Recipe Challenge (and a signed copy of First Lady Michelle Obama’s cookbook, American Grown) with this crunchy, colorful wrap. Rachel writes, “I work for a nonprofit called La Semilla Food Center in southern New Mexico. We work with youth and families in the region to build a healthy, self-reliant, sustainable, and fair food system. I created this recipe to use with students at our school garden at Sierra Middle School. We used beets and carrots the students grew in the garden and local apples, cheddar, and whole-wheat tortillas. After some practice, older youth can prepare this as an afterschool snack on their own.”
kitchen gear
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Cutting board
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Sharp knife (adult needed)
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Citrus squeezer (if you have one)
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Measuring spoons
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Jar with tight-fitting lid
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Box grater (adult needed)
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Large bowl
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5 toothpicks
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 beets, with greens still attached
- 2 carrots
- 2 apples, cored and sliced
- 5 slices cheddar cheese
- 5 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
Instructions
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To make the dressing: Put the orange juice, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in the jar, screw the lid on tightly, and shake well.
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Cut the greens off the beets and pull the leaves from the stems (discard or compost the stems). Wash the leaves, then stack them and roll them. Slice the roll crosswise into thin (1/4-inch) ribbons.
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Peel the beets and carrots and shred them using the grater.
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Put the beet leaves and the shredded beets and carrots in the bowl, add the dressing, and toss to mix.
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For each wrap, put some of the slaw, some of the sliced apples, and 1 slice of cheddar cheese inside a tortilla. Roll the tortilla from the bottom up, tucking in the sides as you go. Secure the wrap with a toothpick, if you like, and serve right away.
Notes
Beet greens (the leafy part of the beet plant) are often discarded, but they’re really delicious, and they add to the nutritional power of this recipe.
“Cored” means with the stem and hard center part removed.
