Quick Lunch: Vegetable Wrap

Here I am again, with a little recipe. A lot has changed in my life over the past few months. Choices have been made, there have been dances of joy, and goodbyes have been said. I’ve set out on a different path. Whereas over the past year I so often felt like my life was stuck in neutral, these past few months have felt like a liberation. It’s as if I’d been lugging around a backpack full of 30 kg of junk for years and have now discovered that you can leave behind the things you no longer need, so your backpack becomes lighter. That you can then dance and skip along, and most importantly, that space is freed up again for other things. And that you can choose entirely for yourself what you think is worth taking with you and giving your attention to.

So I chose to pursue my passion: cooking. And I decided to become really good at it. I spent a month at the hotel school in Koksijde to learn all the basic cooking techniques. Koksijde is a town on the Belgian coast, and my accommodations were within walking distance of the sea. Because of this, I was able to admire the beautiful sunset over the water almost every day. 

One evening, I was walking along the beach, admiring the sky as it turned shades of yellow and orange, eventually blending into the horizon and the water somewhere in the distance. I was standing on the beach at the water’s edge, and a wave lapped over my feet. It suddenly struck me then just how grateful I was for the (obvious yet difficult) choice I’d made to pursue my dream. Over the past few years, I’ve become so good at finding the little rays of light that are always there in a day—truly finding joy in the sight of the starry sky, the smell of freshly baked cookies, and the smile of a passerby on the street. So good, in fact, that I’d almost forgotten that you can also be happy with your whole life—because you’re doing what you love and pouring your energy into the things that energize you. That’s another option you can choose: stoking the fire in your heart that will guide you further along your path, rather than standing still just because there are a few bright spots that dimly illuminate your surroundings.

After that, I traveled on to Bruges to take my first official steps on my new path—a culinary program where I’ll learn to cook at a very high level. For the first few weeks, I slept on a cot because the furniture was taking a while to arrive, but that had its own sense of adventure. Of course, I always made the most delicious dishes in my little kitchen. With just a few ingredients, a little love, and fifteen minutes, you can cook up some really tasty treats. Maybe (not yet 😉) not the kind of dishes you’d find on the menu of a Michelin-starred restaurant, but definitely a delicious meal you can enjoy to the fullest—one that gives your body all the nutrients it needs to stay energetic and healthy.

So in the coming weeks, you can expect to see a lot of dishes like that. Today, I’m sharing a super tasty recipe where we get creative with wraps to pack in a nice serving of vegetables. Because, yes, vegetables can also be used as a really rewarding flavor enhancer. 

Recipe:

Ingredients: (for 2 wraps)

• 1 (yellow) bell pepper 
• ¼ zucchini
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• A handful of pistachios
• (Vegan) cheese spread, half a jar (for a 130-gram jar)
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 vegetable/whole-grain wraps

Preparation:

1. Cut the stem off the bell pepper.
2. Then use your knife to cut around the inner part where the seeds are attached so that it comes loose.
3. Pull this part out with a twisting motion. This way, you'll have removed all the seeds without making a mess on your cutting board. Be sure to watch the video if you'd like to see how it's done.
4. Cut the bell pepper lengthwise into 4–6 pieces, peel them, and cut them into thin strips.
5. Wash the zucchini, since you'll be leaving the skin on.
6. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then into thin slices so that you end up with perfect half-moons. 
7. Sauté the zucchini and bell pepper strips in a pan with a little olive oil or coconut oil.
8. Add the Italian herbs, pepper, and salt.
9. In the meantime, shell the pistachios if necessary. Then chop them into coarse pieces.
10. Gently heat the vegetable wraps in a pan by cooking them for one minute on each side.
11. Spread the cream cheese on the wraps. You'll need ¼ of a jar per wrap.
12. Arrange the vegetables on top and garnish with the pine nuts and chopped pistachios.

Enjoy your meal!

Recipe video: