Cutting Carbs Is Easy When You Use Leaves as Wraps

Like little edible canoes, romaine leaves are long and gently curled inward with a thick spine down the center. They are mild-flavored, and relatively robust. These qualities make them ideal to use as "boats" for fajita or taco ingredients, your favorite lunch salads (like this curried chickpea salad or this sweet apple egg salad), your go-to sandwich fillings, hot dogs, or even sloppy joes — traditional or veggie. To prep romaine boats, simply trim, wash, and gently pat dry each romaine leaf, lay it on a flat surface, and fill just before serving.

Collard leaves are wide and supple, so they can be trimmed into a round, tortilla-like shape and used to roll up any hand-held sandwich just as you would roll a tortilla for a burrito or wrap. Use them for burrito fillings, falafel sandwiches, and lunch salads, and we fell in love at first bite with these outrageously yummy ginger-miso yam wraps. To prep each wrap, wash each collard leaf and pat dry, then trim the stem to create a round tortilla-like shape. Use a modest amount of filling and roll like a burrito, placing fold-side down to close. For a pretty presentation, slice wraps in half with a diagonal cut.

Vibrant, raw purple cabbage leaves are extremely sturdy, so they can hold their own as a taco shell or even burger buns. They’ll add a lively pop of color to any meal; plus, they're supercharged with vitamin C and vitamin A. Shopping tip: smaller heads of cabbage actually peel easier and produce better "cups" than larger heads. If you start with a large head, peel away the outer leaves and reserve for another use. To make cabbage cups, gently peel each leaf away from the head, wash, pat dry, and fill as you would a taco shell or use as buns.

For Asian-flavored dishes such as stir-fry or moo shu, we prefer making delicate cups out of soft, tender butter lettuce (also called Boston or bibb lettuce) a la P. F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps. When prepping, take care to wash and dry the leaves gently to avoid wilting them. These are fun to serve help-yourself-style piled on a platter next to a bowl of your favorite Asian-inspired stir-fry (minced works best!), creative garnishes such as chopped peanuts or scallion, and a tasty selection of sauces such as sriracha sauce, chili garlic sauce, plum sauce, soy sauce, or peanut sauce.