So far, so good! I have been cooking my way through my stack of magazine recipes, and I am quite pleased at how far I have come with this “clean up” process. Not only am I becoming more organized, but I am also enjoying some tasty dishes.
For the most part, I rarely ever seem to follow a recipe exactly. I don’t know what it is, but for some reason I always need to put my own twist on a new-to-me dish. Sometimes I do this in order to change a meat-containing dish into a vegetarian dish. Sometimes I do this to turn a vegetarian dish into a vegan dish. And sometimes I do this because I am unable to find all of the necessary ingredients that a specific recipes calls for. This recipe came about with the inspiration from a recipe in the June 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, but I changed it up a bit since the bok choy at my grocery store was looking pretty sad. I also added coleslaw mix from my fridge to bulk up the recipe and to ensure that I used up the mix before it went bad. Sometimes, if we are lucky, improvising actually produces an even more delicious dish than the original recipe. I believe that this was definitely one of those instances.
Soy-Sesame Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from a recipe for Soy-Sesame Bok Choy Rolls in the June 2013 Vegetarian Times magazine.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
1/2 block extra-firmed tofu, drained and pressed
water, for cooking
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
3 cups coleslaw mix
3/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1 tsp sriracha sauce
black pepper, to taste
Romaine hearts (I used about 6-8 leaves per serving)
Directions
1. Cut tofu into small cubes. Set aside.
2. Line a large skillet with a thin layer of water. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add garlic, green onions, carrots, and coleslaw mix. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Add additional water, as necessary.
3. Stir in the tofu, liquid aminos, sriracha sauce, and pepper. Heat over low heat, or until all of the ingredients are warm.
4. Spoon the tofu and vegetable mix into the leaves of the hearts of Romaine lettuce. You can roll up the leaves, or eat them more in the form of a taco (which is what I did).
I have been pretty obsessed with using hearts of Romaine in my cooking, lately. In fact, I am even using them as a part of tonight’s dinner. They are a much healthier version than tortillas, but (in my opinion) are just as delicious! I love the crunchy texture of the leaves, and they certainly pair very well with Asian-inspired and Mexican-inspired dishes.
This Asian-inspired recipe was absolutely delicious and flavorful. If you are new to tofu and are looking to try it for the first time, this is the perfect simple recipe to do so. Seriously, don’t be afraid..give it a try! 🙂
