Thursday, August 2, 2012

Recipe: Tofu Basil Nectarine Wraps


Nothing more strongly arouses our disgust than cannibalism, yet we make the same impression on Buddhists and vegetarians, for we feed on babies, though not our own. – Robert Louis Stevenson

No children were harmed in the making of this wrap.
Here’s a recipe if you’re looking for something to have for lunch that’s a bit different. It’s also vegetarian, which may classify it as different to a lot of people on that fact alone!

Crispy-coated pan fried tofu.
It’s also an excellent recipe to have for dinner if the weather is hot and you don’t want to spend hours in a steaming kitchen. In summer there’s not much worse than sweating in a kitchen preparing healthy food for your family. Healthy food, good; suffering for it, not so good…

So picture this: pan fried strips of sesame-scented tofu topped with a spicy peanut/ginger sauce. This is wrapped together with lots of fresh basil, sweet onion, carrot and nectarine slices. Yes indeed – nectarines.

The basil and peanut sauce pairs magnificently with the nectarines a well as the tofu. Sheer bliss. Fresh tasting, sweet and pretty much guilt-free. 

Plus, no faces at all involved in any of the ingredients (or egg or milk products) so you can serve this with certainty to not only your vegan friends.

Min you the wraps have gluten so they would have to be substituted for celiacs. And if people have issues with how the peanuts or peppers were farmed… We all know someone like that.

So without further ado, here’s some of the best vegan wraps you will find. Mind you I’m biased. This is my recipe…


Save money!!! Tomorrow I'll be posting a recipe that uses a few of the same ingredients that would be leftover from this recipe. For example, you can't buy a small sweet onion, or six 10"-tortillas...


Tofu Basil Nectarine Wraps
Prep: 10 min  |  Cook: 10 min  |  Serves 3-4 (two wraps per person)

This is everything except for the tofu.
As you can see, it was a very formal affair...
Pan fried tofu:
454 g extra firm tofu
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp sesame seeds (ground or whole)
salt and pepper
sesame oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 to 2 hot finger peppers, finely chopped
2” fresh ginger, finely chopped

The rest:
eight 10” flour tortillas
lettuce
basil
1 small sweet onion, sliced
carrot, in matchstick
2 nectarines, sliced


Just before rolling up.
First fry the tofu. 
Slice a 1 lb (454g) block of extra firm into four thin “steaks”. Mix the cornstarch, sesame seeds salt and pepper together in a bag.

You can either use the sesame seeds whole, or pulse them in a spice grinder and then add them to the cornstarch. Add the tofu slabs and toss well to coat. Shake off any excess.

Add sesame oil to a hit skillet and fry the “steaks” until browned and crisp on both sides. Be careful, as sesame oil has a fairy low smoking point, but we want its sesame flavour.

Remove to a board and cut into long strips.

Next make the sauce.
Chop the ginger and hot pepper. Use as much as you wish. I find the hotter the better. Add these two ingredients with the remaining sauce ingredients into a small blender. I have a “Magic Bullet” that works great for tasks like this.

Purée until smooth and combined. Adjust any of the ingredients to get the consistency you desire. Set aside.


To assemble 
Place some lettuce on a tortilla wrap and add 2-3 tofu pieces. Layer on the remaining ingredients, top with the sauce, roll up and serve.

They're as easy as that!

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