Teriyaki Tofu Lettuce Wraps

A veggie spin-off on the more traditional chicken version, this recipe uses tofu and lots of veggies to make a fresh and crunchy meal.

Ingredients:

one block of tofu, drained and sliced into thin rectangles

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

12 lettuce leaves

1/2 cup shredded carrot

a cucumber, thinly sliced into half moons

pea shoots or other sprouts

Combine the teriyaki and sesame oil in a bowl, place the tofu in a single layer on a glass baking dish and cover with sauce. Marinate for an hour, flip the tofu and marinate the other side for another hour.

Drain the marinade from the tofu and set aside for dipping sauce.

Bake the tofu at 350 degrees for 15 minutes each side, then remove from the oven and cool.

Cut the spiney bottom off the lettuce leaves (I used Romaine) and discard.  Layer one slice of tofu, 1 tbsp. shredded carrot, 2 slices of cucumber and pea shoots. You might also get creative and try other toppings like mint, cilantro or chopped peanuts.

To eat, wrap the sides of the lettuce around the filling.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Vegan Philly

It usually happens that the best meals come from an empty fridge and some ingenuity. Such is the case with this one! I love this meal so much I could eat it every day for lunch and never get tired of it. It doesn't look like much, but the taste is phenomenal, plus if you do eat meat, you won't miss the cheese, or the steak, but you'll have to try it to believe me!

1 onion, halved and sliced

1 red bell pepper, halved and sliced

5 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup (or to taste) of Soyaki teriyaki sauce, or similar

Saute the onion until soft in a few tbsp. of olive oil. Add in the mushrooms and bell pepper and continue to cook until it begins to caramelize. Then add in the teriyaki sauce and stir to coat. Cook about one more minute, then remove from heat.

Serve on top a bed of greens and your favorite bread.

Veggie Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

I LOVE spring rolls. They're like tasty little hand-held salads that you dip into peanut sauce.

But access to them are seriously lacking in my remote mountain locale. So when I finally learned to make them I was pleased to find out how easy, and cheap, they really are to make at home.

Start with a package of spring roll wrappers. These things, by any account, look like anything BUT food. But trust me, you've got it right. They look like this:

Soak one sheet in a plate full of water, submerged, until soft, about 1 minute or so. Then, being careful not to overlap the slippery, delicate rice paper, lay it on a clean, dry plate. Fill as you would a burrito, with your choice of toppings. I used spinach, carrot sticks, celery sticks, bell pepper slices, grated zucchin and micro-green sprouts.

Then fold in the ends and roll carefully. Continue this process until you have enough spring rolls to feed your hungry hoard. Serve with peanut dipping sauce, if you like.

Veggie Burger Lettuce Wraps

Here at the good ol' Garrett house, we're trying to minimize our useless carbohydrate intake (in order to maybe lose a pound or two in the process). Living without tortilla chips and home-popped popcorn? It's been quite the challenge!

Veggie Lettuce Wraps

1 veggie burger

Sliced Tomato

2 big leaves of Red Leaf or Romaine lettuce

condiments of your choosing (we used relish and spicy mustard)

Cook veggie patty according to package instructions. Cut in half and top with tomato and condiments.

Then lay your burger and condiments on a piece of lettuce, wrapping the sides up and over the contents. Lay another piece of lettuce over top, tucking sides around the bottom. Stabilize the wrap with a toothpick. Eat, messily, with plenty of napkins! It's so good!

Greenie Beannie Machinie

Texture makes the difference between a "good" sandwich and a "great" sandwich. No one likes to eat moosh. While you wouldn't think to find green beans in a wrap, to me this seems like a natural addition. You get protein and good fats from the hummus (we used "white bean pesto" hummus) and lots of vitamins, fiber and texture from the veggies.

Greenie Beanie Machinie

Lavash bread (or tortillas)
hummus
spinach
tomato
black olives
fresh, uncooked green beans

Spread hummus on lavash bread in a thin layer. Top with generous amount of spinach and follow with sliced tomato, sliced black olives and a handful of green beans. Roll carefully to form a wrap.