Summertime is perfect for experimenting with fresh, fun salads and funky, cool wraps. This recipe brings together both of those refreshing summer treats. I recently came across a recipe in the newspaper for an Asian-style beef filled wrap, that’s where I got the inspiration. What I came up with bears little resemblance to the aforementioned meat filled sammy. This wrap is made with peanut butter/soy sauce marinated tofu, with a few extra goodies thrown in. By using Trader Joe’s double sided package of tofu, you can make a lot or a little, depending upon how many wraps you will be serving.

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz. block Soga brand extra firm tofu (one half of the two-pack sold at Trader Joe’s)
• 3 tbls chunky peanut butter
• 3 tbls Trader Joe’s Low Sodium Tamari Soy Sauce
• 3 tbls honey
• 1 tsp water
• ¼ tsp minced fresh garlic (about ½ of a small clove)
• 1 tbl chopped fresh green onion
• ½ cup blanched, chopped fresh broccoli
• 1 tsp chopped, roasted almonds (without salt)
• Flour tortillas, medium sized (I used Trader Joe’s brand because they have no preservatives)
• 3 medium to large sized Romaine Lettuce Leaves

Instructions

Open one of the two packs of tofu and drain off the water. Turn out the tofu onto several layers of paper towels and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the tofu into a medium sized mixing bowl and use a fork or a knife to crumble the tofu (it should have a similar consistency to egg salad.) In a glass measuring cup (which will be used for mixing and pouring, not measuring) whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, water and minced garlic until thoroughly mixed. If the mixture is too thick, thin it with a little more water. In a small sauce pan, add enough water to just cover the ½ cup of chopped broccoli that you will be blanching. Bring the water to a boil, and then immerse the broccoli in the boiling water for about ten seconds, immediately drain off the hot water (into a catch bowl if you will be saving it to water your plants later) add ice water to the pan to stop the cooking process. Drain again, then combine the broccoli with the crumbled tofu and toss in the chopped green onion and the chopped almonds. Pour the peanut butter/soy sauce marinade over the tofu mixture. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. When the mixture is well chilled, lay out 4 tortillas and spoon one fourth of the mixture into the center of each tortilla, take one of the romaine lettuce leaves and tear it into pieces (one for each wrap) so that it will fit inside the tortilla when you roll it up. Roll up the tortillas and fold in the ends, cut in half on a diagonal with a sharp knife to serve. Makes 4 wraps.

Added Monday, Sept. 7, 2009