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It was the first CSA (community supported agriculture) of the year from Isabelle Farms yesterday (2 weeks ago, I didn’t get this post out before vacation, sorry!) and I could not be more excited. Joining a CSA really appeals to me for many reasons:

1. It is organic;
2. I feel part of the community participating in it and love driving to the farm and picking up the produce. This one I don’t actually have to work on the farm (I really wanted to but did not find one that did that until it was too late to sign up) but that was my choice because;
3. I do have a garden plot but I know that it is not big enough to completely support my husband and my vegetable consumption (we try very hard to eat a lot of veggies);
4. It forces me to learn how to cook ingredients with ingredients I never heard of, never had the chance to cook, or would not normal purchase and be more creative.

In this pick up we got romaine lettuce, green kale, mustard greens, snap peas, dill, garlic scapes, and carrots (with greens). The first thing I do is determine the longevity of the items to make sure nothing goes to waste, then I get to planning meals! In the case of this box my order of operations was carrot greens -> snap peas -> leafy greens…but I could not help using the big outer lettuce leaves when they were still super fresh.Lettuce wraps are something that I have not made in a very long time but I usually have most of the ingredients on hand, except the lettuce. Good lettuce is so important for lettuce wraps that when I received fresh romaine in my CSA I knew I had to make them.

I have had this recipe for 6 years now and I can’t recall what website I modified it from originally. If this looks like your recipe, and you posted something about it 6 years ago, let me know! This recipe has a great combination of crunch, salty, sweet, and if you choose to use the sauce, spicy.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Dinner for 3 to 4, appetizers for more

1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, chopped
¾ cup mushrooms, chopped*
2 green onions, sliced, whites and greens separated
1 cup peas
2 garlic cloves, minced
14 ounce block of firm tofu**
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Lettuce (traditionally boston, iceberg, or bib, I used big romaine leaves)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup water
1 tablespoons chili garlic paste (I use this brand, which is pretty common)
1 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
Juice of half a lemon (about ½ to 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon sesame oil

Optional Toppings
Crushed peanuts
Rice Sticks

1. Remove tofu from container, turn on long side and cut 3 even slabs. Pat dry with towel.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to medium high heat in a pan (I like to use my cast iron skillet. You could also use a wok but you might not be able to do all three slabs at once). When oil is hot, add tofu slabs. Cook until tofu is hardened and slightly brown (about 5 minutes) then flip and repeat on other side.
3. While tofu is cooking, in small bowl mix ingredients for the dipping sauce. (If you choose to use it)
4. In another small bowl mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar. Set aside.
5. Once tofu is done cooking, remove from pan. Chop in ½ to ¼ inch pieces.
6. Keep pan on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once oil is hot add green onion whites and garlic, cook 1 minute.
7. Add mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and water chestnuts and cook until mushrooms are done (about 5 minutes).
8. Add tofu and sauce and cook 3 minutes. Add greens of green onions.

To Serve:

1. Wash and dry good sized lettuce leaves with no holes.
2. Place lettuce leaf on plate then dish out filling. Don’t over stuff the leaf or you won’t be able to fold it over. Add any additional toppings or sauce.

• I like to serve them family style as a whole meal where everyone serves themselves. You can however preassemble them and serve individually.

Notes:
* You can use any type of mushrooms for this. I tend to use rehydrated shiitake or baby bella mushrooms…but most of the time I use whatever is on sale.

** I happen to have more tofu around lately but I have made this dish many times with chicken (you could probably use pork or beef too, but I never have). This can be done two ways:
1. If you have uncooked chicken breast, dice then cook in the wok/skillet until fully cooked.
2. You can also use already cooked chicken just dice them in small piece and throw them in when you through in the cooked tofu.

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