That’s a Wrap

July 31, 2009


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When I was putting together the menu for last weekend’s yoga retreat, there were a couple of things that were clear to me.  I wanted to take part in the morning session of yoga, so I needed to make things that could be mostly done ahead of time.  And I wanted to be sure to have some kind of sandwich.  Salads only after 2 hours of hot yoga was not going to satisfy this group.  Last time, I made three giant sandwiches on ciabatta bread which were very well received, but those took a lot of last minute time.  For this retreat, because I wanted to take part in the class, I needed to simplify.

Enter one of my favorite sandwiches ever.  I first made these about 7 years ago and have made them countless times since.  Wraps of any kind are the perfect portable food and these are no exception.  I’ve made them for road trips and for picnics and for dinner when I am craving something healthy with a flavor explosion.

I would have made them in advance but there was a 7:55am ferry to catch and I wasn’t prepared to wake up any earlier than necessary.  Instead, I had all the components ready (hummus made…well, Trader Joe’s made it, olives chopped, sundried tomatoes sliced, balsamic red onions made, tofu sautéed) and put together the wraps in the hour of prep time allotted to me.

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The recipe orginally came from Cooking Light but I have made significant changes to it over the years.  The one thing I have kept the same is the ingredients and method for cooking the tofu.  This time I did pan fry it first as the recipe states, but I have also made it by just cooking raw tofu in the sauce.  It’s delicious both ways but the second option is healthier.  Finally, you may want to make extra balsamic onions.  They are spectacular and taste amazing in salads, pastas, you name it.

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One Year Ago:  Raspberry Cake and Blueberry Cobbler – both amazing summer desserts.

Zesty Tofu Wraps
Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes 4 wraps

If you are able to find sundried tomatoes that are not packed in oil, but are soft and supple, this is the place to use them.  If you can only find the brittle kind, reconstitute them in hot water for about 30 minutes.  Drain and chop.  You can easily vegan-ize this recipe by leaving out the honey.

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil, thinly sliced
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 pound extra-firm tofu
Olive oil
1 large red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
Hummus
4 cups arugula

Cut the tofu lengthwise into quarters.  Dry the tofu well on all sides with paper towels.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Add onions and a pinch of salt.  Sauté until very soft and beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes.  Add balsamic vinegar and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes more.  Set aside.

Combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  Heat pan over medium high heat.  Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom and then add tofu.  Cook about 6 minutes, browning on all sides.  Stir in lemon juice mixture and cook 1 minute, or until sauce thickens.  (Alternatively, pour sauce into warm pan and immediately add tofu.  Turn on all sides to coat with sauce.)

Warm tortillas, if desired.  Spread about 2 tablespoon of hummus over tortilla.  Top with 1 piece of tofu, 1/4 of the onions, 1/4 of the olives, and 1/4 of the sundried tomatoes.  Add a small handful of arugula and roll up.

UPDATE:  Beth had a good question in the comment section.  She noticed that the tofu in these photos is more log-like than slab-like.  If you follow the recipe as written above, you will get slabs, which work out better for the wraps.  I quadrupled this recipe and actually needed to make 18 wraps, I made my pieces a little smaller.  Hence the logs.



20 Comments »

  1. Good gracious, that looks good. I can see why it would be your fave – the bold, zingy flavours sound perfect.

    Comment by tara — July 31, 2009 @ 3:15 pm

  2. Oh my goodness. All my favorite ingredients in one place. Fantastic!

    Comment by fresh365 — July 31, 2009 @ 4:32 pm

  3. I love the flavors in this wrap! Simple indeed! Glad you were able to enjoy the class! Tofu is one thing Ive not yet mastered the art of cooking!

    Comment by Jen @ MaplenCornbread — July 31, 2009 @ 4:39 pm

  4. I’m a little confused, your tofu looks like a square log,if I cut my tofu in 4’s it would be flat.Thank. Will have to try this.

    Comment by beth — July 31, 2009 @ 6:41 pm

  5. Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ll always looking at ways to improved my wraps. I’d love to know which balsamic you are using. I am never satisfy with the taste of the ones I buy. Have a great week-end. I’m going to Washington States soon to go camping.

    Comment by Hélène — August 1, 2009 @ 12:56 am

  6. Yum! Looks like the perfect thing to pack to the beach this weekend. Love summer food!

    Comment by Mara — August 1, 2009 @ 1:20 am

  7. You never fail to get me starving for food–even this early in the morning. This looks delicious. I love tofu.

    Comment by HappyTummy — August 1, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

  8. Oh! I think your clock is off :) It’s about 7am here in Chicago, not noon!

    Comment by HappyTummy — August 1, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

  9. This wrap is popping off the page with color and looks so healthy and flavorful. I want a bite — NOW. What a beautiful, well-written blog you have. Also, I love Seattle. I’m from Portland so it’s nice to meet another Pacific Northwester in the food blog world!

    Comment by Angela — August 1, 2009 @ 4:20 pm

  10. You had me at hello! These look so good and I bet they are. I like to eat vegetarian about half the time and this looks like one to add to the menu. Thanks again, my namesake friend. Love your posts!
    Dana Zia

    Comment by Dana Zia — August 2, 2009 @ 12:33 am

  11. This looks delicious, I love the pics too. Nice sandwich for lunch :)

    Comment by Cooking With Dia — August 2, 2009 @ 12:40 am

  12. The tofu looks so great in this! Hummus and sun-dried tomato sound delicious too. Another item I have to try.

    Comment by lisaiscooking — August 2, 2009 @ 3:43 am

  13. I haven’t had a wrap in years and the flavours in this looks so perfect. I love sun-dried tomatoes and I’m sure it’s filling with the tofu & hummus. Yum.

    Comment by kickpleat — August 2, 2009 @ 6:45 am

  14. Those look particularly delicious Dana! I am venturing back to yoga on Wednesday. I bet I ache afterwards.

    Comment by Jacqueline — August 2, 2009 @ 11:26 am

  15. Gorgeous food! I am a firm believer that sandwiches are the world’s perfect food. I’m sure this hit the spot after yoga. Maybe I’ll be there at the next retreat and I can taste them too!

    Comment by redmenace — August 2, 2009 @ 5:46 pm

  16. Sounds like such a great wrap!

    Comment by Carrie — August 3, 2009 @ 6:36 pm

  17. I love when I come across such an appetizing blog post. My husband and I are just getting introduced to tofu and this recipe looks like a great way to take it to the next level. Thanks for sharing.

    Comment by Marilou Lissandrello — August 6, 2009 @ 2:00 am

  18. This looks awesome Dana! I’ve been craving burritos and wrap like things so I’ll have to try this. It looks like it’ll be super flavourful, filling and healthy!

    Comment by Ashley — August 7, 2009 @ 5:01 am

  19. I knew I would love this the moment I saw it- just made it…delicious! Thanks, this is a keeper!

    Comment by fresh365 — November 24, 2009 @ 1:02 am

  20. […] Zesty Tofu Wrap from Dana Treat […]

    Pingback by sandwich-wrap-ingredients-recipes | reluctantentertainer.com Reluctant Entertainer I Sandy Coughlin - Lifestyle, Entertaining, Food, Recipes, Hospitality and Gardening — April 20, 2012 @ 10:01 am



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