By Rip Esselstyn
Our very own Station 2 won the 2003 Austin (TX) Fire Department’s Healthy Wagon contest with this very healthful and tasty lunch/dinner wrap. The judges included three experts–the Fire Department’s in-house health specialist, a local representative from the American Heart Association, and a member of the Mayor’s Council for Physical Fitness.
The department also sponsored an awards presentation at which we received a little red wagon, a healthy low-fat cookbook, a salad spinner, and $50 to use for a future healthy wagon.
This wrap also makes an excellent dinner.
Serves 2
Preheat oven to 450°F
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
½ can corn, drained and rinsed
8 ounces roasted red bell pepper hummus (or 1 cup homemade)
2 large whole grain wraps
½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 roasted poblano pepper, cut into strips
½ package fresh spinach
Instructions:
- Sauté onion until translucent.
- Add bell pepper and cook for two to three minutes.
- Add mushrooms and corn.
- Spread a layer of hummus on wrap.
- Add sautéed vegetables, beans, poblano strips, and fresh spinach.
- Roll into a burrito.
- Place on baking sheet in oven, seam side down, for 8-10 minutes.
- Serve the wrap warm, and top with guacamole and salsa.
Variation:
Substitute one small can of drained green chilies for the fresh poblano pepper.
Rip Esselstyn is a mission-driven man. As a swimmer at the University of Texas at Austin, he was a three time All-American. As a professional athlete, he was one of the premier triathletes in the world for more than a decade. As a firefighter for the Austin (TX) Fire Department, he helped people and saved lives. As a friend to other firefighters, he transformed the way Austin’s Engine 2 ate to save firefighters’ health. Now, as the author of The Engine 2 Diet, he is teaching people the irrefutable connection between what they put in their mouths and their ability to reach their ideal weight and their ideal health. Recently, he has teamed up with Whole Foods Market as a Healthy Eating Partner to raise awareness for Whole Foods Market team members, customers, and all of America about the benefits of eating a Plant Strong diet composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Rip comes from a family steeped in medicine. His great-grandfather, George Crile, co-founded the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, where his father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., was chief of the breast cancer task force and completed one of the most extensive studies ever conducted on the relationship between the heart and diet–proving that a plant-based diet can stop, prevent, and even reverse heart disease.
Rip serves on the Board of Directors for The Wellness Foundation, EarthSave’s Meals For Health Program, and the AllergyKids Foundation.
