Spicy Lime and Herbed Tofu Lettuce Wraps

What’s better than a recipe that involves NO cooking whatsoever? Um, nothing? We made these for the first time tonight, and they were quite refreshing. Due to some poor menu planning on my part, we were missing quite a few of the ingredients, and made quite a few substitutions. The recipe below is our version, which we liked, but you can view the original recipe onEpicurious.

This recipe would be amazing if allowed to marinate. If you’re the plan ahead type, make the dressing and add the chopped tofu and let it sit for a few hours (or overnight). Also, next time we won’t strain the dressing so as to let more flavor come through.

Spicy Lime and Herbed Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Makes 6 appetizer servings or 3-4 main course servings.

INGREDIENTS
Dressing
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh lemongrass, cut from bottom 4 inches of 4 stalks with tough leaves removed
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sriracha chili sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Tofu
1/2 cup diced seeded peeled cucumber
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped seeded serrano chile
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil (preferably Vietnamese or Thai)
1 14- to 16-ounce package firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, patted dry
6 large or 12 medium butter lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS
For dressing:
Puree first 5 ingredients in blender. Let mixture stand at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain mixture into small bowl, pressing on solids to release any liquid; discard solids. Stir in sweet chili sauce and sesame oil. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For tofu:
Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Add tofu and dressing to bowl; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange 1 or 2 lettuce leaves on each of 6 plates. Divide tofu mixture among lettuce leaves and serve.

Herbed Tofu and Zucchini Lasagna

So I thought that I’d never get to eat lasagna again, being that I can’t eat dairy… until I found this recipe. Let me tell you, this would fool anyone. The tofu/herb/lemon mixture becomes the exact texture of ricotta cheese, and has fantastic flavor. We might have added a bit too much lemon, as it was a bit tart, but delicious nonetheless. Next time, try a spinach lasagne instead of zucchini, or at least cut the zucchini thinner. The faux-ricotta would also make a great filling for pasta shells or ravioli.

Herbed Tofu and Zucchini Lasagna

Makes 10 servings. Recipe from RecipeZaar.

INGREDIENTS
2 (14 ounce) packages firm tofu, well-drained
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch slices (about 3 cups)
5 cups marinara sauce (the best you can find)
16 no-boil lasagna noodles
extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling on each serving)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Coat a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Toast pine nuts: Place them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly until golden (about 3 minutes).

In food processor, combine tofu, basil, parsely, toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Blend until smooth and similar in texture to ricotta cheese.

In large non-stick skillet, heat oil and saute the zucchini on medium-high heat just until they’re tender (about 3 -5 minutes).

Spread 3 tablespoons of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover with a layer of noodles, overlapping them slightly.

Layer 1/2 of the tofu mixture, then 1/2 of the zucchini mixture, layer of noodles, then remaining tofu, remaining zucchini, 1/2 cup marinara sauce, more noodles, and remaining marinara sauce. Cover pan with foil and bake 1 hour.

Let rest 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle olive oil on each serving.