Meatless Monday: Spicy tofu lettuce wraps

Forget takeout!

For a Meatless Monday meal that you can really wrap your hands around, try this recipe for spicy tofu lettuce wraps. They're fun to eat, definitely tasty and super-easy to make. What more could you want for a Monday?

Sink your teeth into this recipe for spicy tofu banh-mi sandwiches >

You've probably seen lettuce wraps on the menu at many restaurants, but this is one dish you can easily make at home. Spicy tofu lettuce wraps are easy to make, so no need for takeout, and the chicken you usually find in most offerings gets swapped for tofu, keeping this a great-tasting and meatless dish.

Talkin' tofu

Tofu is purely plant-based and made from soybeans, water and a curdling agent. Basically, the soybeans are pureed, cooked and filtered. After filtering, the soymilk is made to curdle with a thickening agent and the curds (solid parts) are pressed into cakes. The whey (liquid) is drained off.

Try this recipe for jerk veggies and tofu with grilled pineapple >

Spicy tofu lettuce wraps

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry with paper towels and diced
• 1 head iceberg lettuce. You'll need approximately 8 leaves, carefully separated (try to keep them in whole pieces), to use as the wraps for the tofu mixture
• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/4 cup carrot, cut in matchstick pieces, to use as garnish
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce or hot sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional:

• 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts as garnish
• 1/4 cup chow mein noodles as garnish

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, mix the soy sauce, honey, peanut butter, chili sauce and garlic powder together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you'd like. Set aside.
3. Drain and pat the tofu dry with paper towels and dice into small pieces.
4. Add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the onions, turn down the temperature just slightly and cook until they're soft.
5. Add the tofu, garlic and celery and cook for about four minutes, breaking the tofu into pieces with the back of a spatula or spoon.
6. Add the sauce mixture to the tofu and mix all ingredients until well coated.
7. Remove from the stove and transfer to a serving bowl.
8. Add the tofu mixture to the individual lettuce leaves.
9. Garnish with several pieces of carrot and the peanuts or chow mein noodles.
10. Roll the lettuce leaves slightly and enjoy.

This is one dish you can get wrapped up in!

More Meatless Monday recipes

Warm white bean and arugula salad
Orecchiette pasta with broccoli rabe
Easy grilled eggplant burgers