Jerk Tofu Wrapped In Collard Leaves Recipes

Steps:

• Remove dark green tops from scallions and thinly slice on a diagonal. Place in a small bowl, cover with a damp paper towel, and chill until ready to serve. Thinly slice remaining white and pale green parts crosswise and place in another small bowl; add garlic and ginger. (Have scallion mixture, curry paste, tofu, and coconut milk near the stove and at the ready so you can work quickly.)
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook scallion mixture, stirring, until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, until it begins to stick to pan, about 1 minute. Add tofu and coconut milk, season with salt, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until sauce is almost completely evaporated and you can see the bottom of skillet, 5-7 minutes. Stir in lime juice.
• Transfer tofu mixture to a platter and top with chile, if using. Arrange collard greens, cilantro, and reserved scallion tops on platter so that each component is visible and easily accessible. Place coconut chips in a small bowl and arrange lime wedges on a small plate.

Steps:

• For the Jerk Marinade:
• Combine all the ingredients except the salt in a food processor, add ¼ cup water, and puree until well combined. Season with salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 1 week.
• For the Garlic Oil (and Garlic Chips):
• In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain the oil through fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, reserving the garlic chips. Use immediately or store in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• For the Cilantro Sauce:
• In a small skillet, combine the garlic, olive oil, coriander, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook just until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 ½ minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Transfer the oil mixture to a blender. Add the cilantro, lemon juice, jalapeño, and ¼ cup water and blend until smooth. If necessary, season with additional salt to taste. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• For the Finished Dish:
• First, press your tofu. This procedure extracts excess water, makes the block more uniformly firm, and allows the tofu to absorb the marinade more easily. Just wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel (or paper towels), place it in a large bowl or a clean kitchen sink, and sit something heavy on top of it (like a 28-ounce can of tomatoes) for 20 minutes, turning the block over after 15 minutes.
• Place one block of the tofu on a cutting board. Cut it in half horizontally, then cut vertically down the center to yield four pieces. Repeat with the second block of tofu.
• Pour the marinade into a large baking dish, adding just enough water to ensure that it is runny, if necessary. Place the tofu in the marinade in one even layer. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, flipping the tofu every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours. Remove the tofu from the marinade, scrape off any excess, and transfer to a large plate. Strain the marinade through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
• In a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Blanch the collard leaves, one at a time, for 30 seconds each, then lay them flat on clean kitchen towels to dry.
• Combine the arrowroot and the remaining 2 tea¬spoons salt in a pie plate. Mix well. Coat each side of the tofu pieces with the arrowroot, shake off any excess arrowroot, and transfer them to a second large plate.
• Lightly coat the bottom of a large cast-iron skillet with peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the tofu and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip each piece with a spatula and fry until golden brown on the second side. Lightly sprinkle both sides of the tofu with salt and transfer to a rack. Repeat to fry the remaining tofu. Wipe the skillet clean.
• On a clean work surface, arrange two collard leaves lengthwise, overlapping each other by an inch or so, and place one piece of tofu in the center of the leaves. Smear 2 heaping tablespoons of the reserved marinade on top of the tofu, sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of garlic chips on top of the tofu, then fold the leaves around the tofu to create a packet. Repeat with the remaining collard leaves and tofu.
• In the same skillet, warm 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat, tilting the pan to coat it evenly with the oil. Place the packets in the skillet, folded-side up, and cook for about 1 minute. Gently flip each packet with a spatula, cover the skillet with a lid or some aluminum foil, and cook for about 5 minutes to warm through.
• To serve, spread some cilantro sauce over four plates and place two of the tofu packets on each plate. Garnish with cilantro leaves and peanuts and serve.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• While the water heats up, prepare the collard green leaves. Trim the stems, then, using a paring knife, carefully remove the thick part of the stem from the leaf. Working parallel to the leaf, shave off any excess stem so that it is flush with the leaf and will roll easily. Repeat with each collard.
• Blanch each collard green leaf in the boiling water for 1 minute, until softened and bright green. Remove from the water and immediately submerge in an ice bath for 1 minute, or until cool to the touch. Dry the collard greens on paper towels until ready to use.
• Make the peanut sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, Sriracha, sesame oil, honey, lime juice, water, and salt. Whisk until smooth.
• In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the tofu strips and marinate for 15 minutes.
• Heat the sesame oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the tofu strips and sear for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove the tofu from the pan.
• To build the wraps, lay a collard green leaf on a flat surface. Spread 2 teaspoons of peanut sauce across the center of the leaf. Lay 1 strip of tofu on top of the sauce, followed by 3-4 pieces of cucumber, 1 tablespoon shredded carrot, and a bit of mint, Thai basil, and scallions.
• Fold one side of the leaf over the filling and dollop a bit of peanut sauce on top. Fold the other side of the leaf over the filling, and using the sauce to secure. Fold the bottom of the leaf up and over the filling. Tuck in all of the ingredients and roll until the bottom half has reached the top of the leaf. Spread a bit of sauce on the top of the leaf and roll to secure the wrap. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Cut in half on the diagonal, then serve with more peanut sauce for dipping, if desired.
• Enjoy!
• Nutrition - Per Wrap - Calories: 282, Total fat: 18 grams, Sodium: 484, Total carbs: 21 grams, Dietary fiber: 11 grams, Sugars: 5 grams, Protein: 18 grams

Steps:

• Press the tofu by placing it between two plates or baking pans. Weigh the top down with something heavy such as a tin of beans or a book. You want it heavy enough that the sides of the tofu bulge out a bit, but not so much that they split - you're just trying to press some of the water out. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes, longer if you can.
• While the tofu is pressing, make the jerk sauce by combining the rest of the ingredients in a processor or blender, puree until smooth and then set aside.
• Drain the pressed tofu and cut each cake into three slices. Stack the slices and then cut through all three layers diagonally (making an x). This will make 12 triangles from each block of tofu. If you're grilling on the BBQ, these squares might be too small to work with, so you can make larger triangles or strips.
• Gently toss the tofu in the jerk marinade. If time permits, let this sit for half an hour, longer if you can, tossing now and again.
• Oven baking - When ready to bake, place the triangles in a baking dish and bake for one hour at 400 degrees, carefully turning each piece every 20 minutes.
• Grill - Medium heat is best on the top rack so as not to burn. Grill them for about 25-30 minutes.