A few months ago, my cookbook editor and I had a long, detailed, and interesting conversation about our love of sandwiches.
Yes, a sandwich. It might seem absurd to hold forth about them on a Zoom call with nothing to do with lunch food, but we excitedly compared our favorite combinations anyway.
Then, the conversation turned to wrapping paper.
“Well,” I said. “I never really thought about packaging.”
Actually, that’s not true—I do think of burritos, and I absolutely love them. But while I’ve posted many sandwich recipes on this blog, I’ve written very little about sandwich rolls.
It’s a shame. The packaging is portable, compact, complete, and fun.
After that conversation, I decided to devise a new packaging formula. The result is these vegan Buffalo chicken wraps.
The package is essentially a handheld version of an energy plate, packed with healthy fats, energy carbohydrates, and plant protein.
What’s more, if you’re willing to make one or two ingredients ahead of time, they’re delicious, comforting, and easy to prepare.
Versatile vegetarian “chicken”
Back in February, I shared my vegan soy wrap “chicken” bar recipe.
These methods saved me money when I wanted to buy the latest and greatest – but not necessarily the cheapest – new vegetarian “chicken” at the grocery store.
They’ve also proven versatile in my kitchen. I use my soy-wrapped chicken strips for sandwiches, pasta, peppers, easy skillet meals, and more.
Soybeans have been soaked, stirred, cooked, and dehydrated at low temperatures.
After you hydrate your curls, they become chewy, protein-rich hair strips. To me, they taste and look a lot like chicken.
They’re a single ingredient: soy.
Soy burritos are the perfect base for vegan Buffalo chicken burritos. The burrito is also delicious in its crunchy vegetable fillings—shredded carrots, avocado, and crunchy lettuce—and creamy ranch dressing, which gives it extra flavor.
Better ranch dressing
I took over a decade to make a homemade cashew ranch dressing that I prefer store-bought.
However, now that I have created it, I will use ranch dressing on everything.
It’s a great sandwich alternative to mayonnaise, a great addition to grilled chickpea quinoa bowls, an exciting condiment for steamed broccoli or cauliflower, and great for dipping.
The good thing about a homemade vegan farm is that it’s less salty than the store-bought ones (I love well-seasoned things, but most commercial versions go too far).
I also like the herbs to taste fresh because they are so fresh! You can use dried herbs in the recipe, but the fresh, chopped dill, chives, and parsley kick the dressing.
It’s a vegetarian buffalo sauce.
I’m a total wuss about spicy food, so it took me a long time to get used to eating buffalo sauce.
Once I tried it, adding it to roasted chickpeas and tofu marinades, I began to see why people love its buttery flavor and hot sweetness.
I always thought making buffalo sauce was more complicated than it was.
Mixing the hot sauce with melted butter and a few extra seasonings that can vary from recipe to recipe.
This version calls for vegan butter. I don’t think branding matters here, so feel free to use vegan butter that fits your taste, budget, and dietary priorities.
I flavored it with garlic powder, maple syrup, and smoked paprika.
How to make vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Wrap
Once the ingredients for these packages are ready—in other words, once you have vegan chicken strips and ranch dressing—the rest of the assembly is easy.
Step 1: Prepare soy sauce-wrapped chicken strips
This can be done a few days in advance. If you make the chicken strips before preparing the wrap, your oven is already preheated.
If you didn’t make the soy rolls beforehand, preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
Step 2: Mix the buffalo bolognese and wrap the rolls
Next, stir the buffalo sauce in a small bowl.
Transfer the chicken strips to a parchment paper or foil-lined baking sheet, then pour the sauce over it.
Use your hands or kitchen tongs to mix and curl the sauce over the sheets.
Step 3: Bake
Bake it again because the soy burritos have already been baked once. A second roasting with the sauce will help lock in the flavors and seasonings.
The curls must be baked in the oven for 15 minutes or until the sauce is dry and dark.
Step 4: Roll yours up
“Assemble your wrapping paper” is a neat instruction, but let’s not pretend that rolling a sturdy wrapping paper is easy (read: Not too stuffed, small, and won’t fall apart)!
A large enough piece of plastic wrap is critical – I recommend a diameter of 10-12 inches (25-30 cm). 8 inches / 20 cm is the smallest size that will allow you to add enough filling while successfully rolling it up.
To do this, arrange a package on the work surface.
Use thicker wrapping paper for this meal to easily add fillings and roll.
Avocado slices are the finishing touch.
Stack a quarter of the soybean roll vertically along the center of the roll. Top with 3/4 cup lettuce, 1/3 cup carrots, some avocado slices, and 2 tablespoons ranch dressing.
Put the top and bottom sides of the wrapper over the filling. Then, fold one side of the plastic wrap over the filling and edges to keep everything as compact as possible.
Roll the package from the rolled side to the free side.
Repeat this process until you have four parcels, which you can eat immediately or store in the refrigerator (up to 3 days) as part of your vegetarian meal preparation.
store
I recommend keeping prepared plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After this time, the avocado will probably get wet and turn brown.
Instead, you can make soy rolls, season them, bake them, and store them for up to four days before rolling up your package. You can also freeze them for up to six weeks.
This cashew ranch dressing will be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days.
More hand-held lunch ideas
If this article has made you realize that you like sandwiches and wraps more than you realized, I have some more tips!
sandwich
- Sauerkraut Smoked tofu sandwich (this was released in October and was a hit!)
- Miso Tahini vegetable sandwich
- Vegan BLT with homemade mayonnaise
- Avocado and cabana sandwich
- Green Goddess Club
- Pantry Grilled cheese (and tomato soup)
package
- Vegetarian chickpea Caesar Roll
- Lentil tahini roll
- Rice and bean feather roll
If you want to be more proactive with your homemade lunch plan, check out these vegan lunch prep ideas.
Ingredients
1 batch of vegan soy-wrapped chicken strips with 5 ingredients
6 tablespoons of hot sauce, like Frank’s red hot sauce
2 tablespoons melted vegan butter
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
4 barley husks (10 inches / 25 cm)
3 cups light-packed, chopped lettuce or iceberg lettuce
1 1/3 cup shredded carrots
1 small avocado, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 cup homemade vegetarian ranch dressing (120ml)
Instructions
- Prepare the soy sauce-wrapped chicken strips as directed. If you do this directly before making them, keep the oven at 425°F / 220°C. If you’re making chicken-style soy wraps a day or two in advance, preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
- Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Arrange the chicken rolls on the prepared baking sheet.
- Whisk the hot sauce, butter, syrup, garlic powder, and paprika in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the soy rolls on the baking sheet and mix them well with your hands or tongs, spreading the sauce over each piece.
- Put the soy roll in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the sauce is dry and dark. No stirring is required when baking. Let the soy roll cool on the paper for 15 minutes.
- Lay a layer of wrapping paper on the work surface. Stack a quarter of the soybean roll vertically along the center of the roll. Top with 3/4 cup lettuce, 1/3 cup carrots, some avocado slices, and 2 tablespoons ranch dressing. Put the top and bottom sides of the wrapper over the filling. Then, fold one side of the plastic wrap over the filling and edges, trying to keep everything tight. Roll the package from the rolled side to the free side. Cut the wrapping paper in half.
- Service. Leftover wrapping paper can be tightly wrapped in foil or plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
