Thanksgiving potluck at school

Thanksgiving is a big holiday here in the US. It falls on the last Thursday of November. It is celebrated as a harvest festival and giving thanks to all those who helped with it. It is also the 'turkey day'. Most people roast a whole turkey with stuffing and carve the bird at table side. It is an occasion when the whole family comes together enjoying fun, football and food.

Yesterday, we had a thanksgiving potluck lunch at Srihari's school and parents were welcome to have lunch with their kids.. There was lots of food and so many varieties (including idly, lemon rice, 5 varieties of pasta, pies and fresh fruit) which made the kids want everything... I had a lot of fun with my son. I was cooking the whole morning (thanks to my sis who dropped in early to help) and then was rushing to the school, that I did not have time to click pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera to school... So no pictures... except for those I clicked the previous day!!!

I prepared two varieties of wrap.
1. Creme cheese wrap with sun-dried tomatoes
2. Green chutney and potato filling wrap
Check out the details (from my older post) here.

I prepared the green chutney on Thursday, to save some time on Friday morning.

Ingredients:
Mint leaves - 1/2 a bunch
Cilantro - 1 bunch, roughly chopped
Onion - 1 small piece, diced
Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
Green Chillies - 3 slit at the middle (this batch was very mild - and they did not make the chutney spicy at all)
Urad dal - 2 tbsp (optional)
Channa dal - 2 tbsp (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
salt to taste

Method:
The usage of dals or peanuts in the chutney is optional. It gives it some thickness and texture.  Some kids at school are allergic to nuts, so, I resorted to dals instead of peanuts.
Heat little oil in a skillet, add green chillies, ginger and onion and fry them until onions turn transparent. Add channa and urad dal and fry until golden brown.  Now add mint and cilantro, mix well and remove from heat. The leaves will wilt in the remaining heat and this keeps them green. Let it cool and grind with salt, lemon juice and little water to a thick consistancy.

To assemble the wrap, I spread this chutney on lavash bread (from Trader Joe's), sprinkled pieces of sauteed mashed potato, onion and peas mixture and rolled it and cut into 3 pieces.

I also prepared baked sweet potato wedges... What's thanksgiving without sweet potatoes???

Overall it was a meal thoroughly enjoyed meal with kids and parents at school.

Wrapped with fun

What do I call this wrap? 'Mediterranean wrap'?, as I used Mediterranean ingredients and Middle-Eastern flat bread? Or 'Creme cheese wrap'? when I smear creme cheese on the base? Or 'Masala wrap'? when I use 'Indian' ingredients? I think, 'As you like it wrap' might be appropriate as you can throw in anything you love.

'Wrapped with fun'... Yes!! This is one preparation we absolutely have fun with, every single time. Want a recipe which is quick, healthy and the whole family can have fun at dinner time? This is the one!! My creative friend Purnima told me about the creme cheese and sun-dried tomato wrap that she makes for her office potlucks. I derived my inspiration from there and prepared it for my son's first birthday party (for the first time). All our guests enjoyed it a lot and asked me for the recipe. It is so simple and quick, that with a little help even my 2 1/2 year old son can make it :)

I bought 'Lavash' (Middle-Eastern flat bread) from my local 'Trader Joe's (whole wheat option available). This flat bread is rectangular and that makes it easier to wrap. I would smear either creme cheese (for kids), or humus or pesto (for adults) on the bread. Then I would sprinkle any of my favourite ingredients on top, wrap it up and cut it into halves and enjoy. This time, I used sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil (oil squeezed out), chopped fresh spinach, basil chiffonade^*1 and sliced green olives. I sprinkled some chilly flakes for a little extra punch (lots on my hubby's). As I stated earlier, you can virtually use any ingredient. I guess, any kind of cooked and shredded meat would go well too (We are vegetarians and hence have not tried this option - but guessing it would work).

You can put the ingredients in separate bowls and let your family assemble their own wraps at the dinner table. Have family fun and less work for you at the same time. Isn't that nice?



*1 - Chiffonade is just a fancy term for thin shredded strips (generally used for herbs). Before cutting basil chiffonade, you may want to sprinkle a few drops of vegetable oil on the leaves and gently rub to evenly coat the leaves. This will prevent them from darkening. Stack several basil leaves and roll them into a tight tube length-wise. Slice the leaves width-wise into narrow pieces to create long thin strips.