Peanut Tofu & Butternut Squash Lettuce Wraps
Wow, what is this? A healthy recipe from SALT N SPRINKLES? Whoa, didn’t know that was still a thing.
Well, yes.
‘Tis the season to fully immerse ourselves in all things mashed, fried, and covered in cheese, so I thought I’d share a healthy vegan meal prep recipe that I’ve been loving lately. These Peanut Tofu and Butternut Squash Lettuce Wraps are just the perfect thing to enjoy for lunch the day after a large meal, because they are so fresh and light and filling but not super indulgent.
I’m a huge fan of Thai food and love to cover just about everything in this spicy peanut sauce. It’s just a few ingredients that are super fresh and probably already in your kitchen: peanut butter, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Make a big batch and keep it in the fridge, and use it as the base for a future homemade Pad Thai. You are welcome!
This recipe is adapted from Pinch of Yum, which is one of my all time favorite food blogs. A lot of their recipes are vegetarian friendly, and many more of their recipes are easily adaptable to be vegetarian or vegan. I love that they typically note vegetarian or vegan substitutes for the main ingredients, which makes it easy when you’re recreating at home.
These vegan tofu lettuce wraps are easy to meal prep, too. I make a bunch of the peanut tofu and butternut squash ahead of time on Sundays and just pack them away in individual glass Tupperware containers. I’ll then throw 2 of the lettuce leaves into the container on top of the tofu and roasted butternut squash. When it’s time to heat them up for lunch, I’ll take out the lettuce and place it on a separate plate so it stays cold while I microwave the tofu. So easy, and so much yum!
This recipe is pretty easy, but the most complicated piece of it is the lettuce leaves. You can actually buy individual lettuce leaves in the salad aisle at Trader Joe’s, and I’m sure other grocery stores offer it as well. But, if you’re like me and like to make things a tiny bit harder on yourself, you can start with a whole head of lettuce, chop off the bottom root and peel away the individual lettuce leaves. This process is slightly more complicated and I’ve found that the lettuce leaves like to tear on me when I do this, but I still always come away with about 10 or so whole, intact leaves that I can use for the lettuce wraps. Still worth it.
Hope you like this easy, vegan meal prep recipe. Enjoy!
ingredients
Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sambal oelek
2 tablespoons sugar
a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled
a clove of fresh garlic, peeled
Lettuce Wraps
1 container extra firm tofu
1 c roasted butternut squash
lettuce leaves for wrapping
directions
Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a small blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
Next, press the tofu with a few paper towels to get the moisture out. Cut the tofu into small cubes.
Heat a little oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the tofu and stir-fry until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the butternut squash and toss.
Add half of the peanut sauce to the pan. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until all of the tofu and butternut squash is fully coated and browned with the sauce.
Fill your lettuce wraps with spoonfuls of the tofu and butternut squash. Yum!
Adapted From: Pinch of Yum