Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Hey everyone! I knew that for my first post back it better be something fantastic. So, here is one of my absolute favorite meals. These are vegan P.F. Chang’s inspired tofu lettuce wraps. If you aren’t vegetarian don’t let the “T” word scare you. I made Ashton try these without telling what they were and he fell in love with them…enough to try tofu at a restaurant  He wasn’t pleased with theirs. I adapted this recipe from one found on Veggie Converter. The first step is VERY IMPORTANT!

Ingredients:

1 Package Nasoya Brand Extra Firm Light Tofu
1 small onion
Lettuce (we use Greenleaf)
Green onions
For the marinade:
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs Bragg’s Amino Acid
2 tbs Natural Rice Vinegar
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tbs Sesame Seed
For the Sauce:
10 tbs Bragg’s Amino Acid
2 tbs PB2
3 tbs Agave Nectar

1. Chop the tofu into small pieces. As you chop the tofu, press a paper towel on the tofu firmly to suck up the excess water. (Tofu is like a sponge, so you want to get as much water out of the sponge so you can add new, seasoned liquid).
2. Chop the small onion and mix it with the tofu in a bowl so that there is an even ratio of tofu to onion.
3. Add the minced garlic, Bragg’s, rice vinegar, chili powder and sesame seeds. Mix in evenly.
4. Set aside to marinade. (I usually let it marinade in a mason jar. I was raised in the south…don’t judge) I’m not sure if marnade time matters, I usually get home from work around 2, so I start the marinade when I get home. I usually start cooking dinner at 6:30 and that time frame works well. The shortest time I’ve allowed it to marinade was 30 minutes and it tastest just fine.
5. While your tofu is marinating, make the sauce. Combine the Bragg’s, PB2, and agave nectar and stir well. (I used a mason jar to shake the sauce up.)
6. Cut the limes into wedges. We usually go through 3-4 limes, but I am ADDICTED to limes. It’s a problem.
7. Chop the green onions.
8. In a pan, dry fry the marinated tofu so that it becomes firm and a little crispy.
9. Add the sauce and cook down until it becomes a thick sauce. Stir in the green onions.
10. Add 1/8 cup (2 tbs) of cooked tofu to a piece of lettuce and squeeze with fresh lime. Roll like a burrito.

The serving size of the wrap depends on your preference. I find that 2 tbs is a good amount but Ashton uses closer to 4 tbs per wrap. At 2 tbs a wrap this makes 32 servings and at 4 tbs a wrap this recipe makes 16 servings. A wrap filled with 4 tbs of filling is only 37 calories! We paired it with vegetarian egg drop soup and Ashton had chicken egg rolls. Oh, and a fortune cookie

I’m back!

So after a long hiatus, I’m back. My computer committed suicide and it became very difficult to maintain a quality blog without a computer. My Iphone has a nice camera for a phone but’s still a phone. But now that I can use my camera I’m back. So here is a little bit of exciting news for any existing followers and a way to introduce myself to anyone new. I’m engaged! We are planning our wedding for August 2014 on Tybee Island. So while this is still going to be mainly healthy lifestyle blog, I’m sure that some personal excitement will make it’s way in. This go round I’m also going to talk more about excercise. It’s something that I didn’t discuss as much before but it is an important part of fitness. So, there we have it. I’m back.

 

(p.s. you’re getting an exciting recipe tonight!)

 

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This delicious side is super easy and delicious! I love oven roasted potatoes, but sweet potatoes are so much better for you, so I combined them! A large sweet potato makes 3 servings that are 67 calories each.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes/strong>
1 large sweet potato
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Rosemary
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Dash of cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Chop sweet potato into chunks of moderate size.
3. In a large plastic bag, toss all ingredients until evenly coated.
4. Spread out on a shallow baking pan.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip.
6. Bake for 5 more minutes or until both sides are crispy.

Apple Dippers

Nutella is one of my favorite foods, but when I read the ingredients one day, I knew there had to be a better option. Luckily I found Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. It’s delicious and all natural! I love to pair it with apple slices for a delicious snack that is under 100 calories. (86 calories)

Apple Dippers
1 small apple, sliced
1 teaspoon of Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

1. Dip and Enjoy.

Eating Out Right: Moe’s

There is a Moe’s in the shopping center that I work at, and it I’ve learned that Moe’s can either be very healthy or very unhealthy. This is my go-to. It’s a salad with tofu, black beans, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, cilantro, and gauc with limes squeezed over it. I don’t usually get the bowl, but I forgot to specify when I called in! I just skipped eating. My meal was 310 calories, 13 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein.

Friday Finds: Campbell’s Harvest Select Southwestern Soup & Sweet Potato Chips

This week, I’m releasing a new section called Friday Finds. While I do try to cook as much as my food myself, sometimes it really isn’t realistic, but I still search for healthy meals. Last week I picked up a longer shift at work and had an unplanned meal break. I work near a Target and figured that I’d be able to find something there and was correct! I found a delicious, vegan (probably accidental) soup with ingredients I was familiar. It was only 50 calories a cup and had 0 grams of fat! It was kind of high in carbs, but beggars can’t be choosers and I work on my feet all day long. To even the meal out, I bought a 1.5 ounce bag of Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. They were vegan and had less than 10 ingredients. Together, my meal was 310 calories with an unsweetened iced green tea on the side. This will definitely turn into one of my on-the-go meals this fall!

Lentil Sloppy Joes

This super easy dish literally takes less than 30 minutes to make and uses one pot. It’s also made with kitchen staples. The sloppy joe sauce itself is 47 calories for 1/4 cup and I paired it with a whole wheat sandwich thin, which brings the entire sandwich to a calorie count of 137 calories! This makes 3 servings.

Lentil Sloppy Joes
1/4 cup dry lentils
1 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Stevia

1. Cook the lentils on medium until they are cooked (about 20 minutes).
2. Drain the excess water.
3. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and place on bun or sandwich bread.
4. Enjoy!