Tofu Summer Rolls
September 30, 2016 by Ginger Hultin MS RDN
Are you looking for an easy, healthy and delicious lunch or snack recipe? Fresh summer rolls could be the perfect solution. This adaptable recipe can help spice up your meal prep and is an easy way to sneak in more veggies. A portable ‘meal-in-a-wrapper’ can help you get out of a lunch rut, create the perfect snack or even make a delightful party appetizer. Tofu Summer Rolls combine the ingredients of your choosing, rolled up in a thin rice paper package with your choice of sauces.
This version that I made, Tofu Summer Rolls, is a vegan option with filling brown rice noodles which has some great heat and spicy flavors to highlight the fresh vegetables and tofu that create the main feature. Adding the sauce inside makes it easy to eat on the go or to serve as an appetizer with no messy dips needed for flavor.
As a dietitian, I’m always creating recipes that combine fiber, protein, and healthy fats that include a variety of fresh ingredients to help easily incorporate more vegetables. This Tofu Summer Rolls recipe does all this, all rolled up into one. The brown rice noodles add fiber and B vitamins, and a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs help up the vitamins and minerals in this fun and easy dish.
Tofu Summer Rolls Alternatives:
Vegetables: You can easily mix up the greens by replacing the romaine with collard greens, chard, butter lettuce or other leafy greens.
For the other vegetables; crispy, crunchy vegetables work well, you can add to, or replace, the carrots and cucumbers with
bell peppers of any color
jicama
cabbage
bamboo shoots
zucchini slicesÂ
Tips for Making the Tofu Summer Rolls
To make this recipe for kids or those who don’t love spicy foods, replace the jalapeno with non-spicy peppers and omit the sriracha. Kids love to help make these as with most things that are hands on. Let them pick some of the fillings and help them learn to roll them up for a fun snack/meal for the whole family.
Have all the ingredients prepped, ready and organized so you’re ready to fill them once you’ve soaked the wrappers. You’re going to have to move really quickly and be very gentle so that the papers don’t rip as you prepare them. Placing everything in order helps make it a seamless process.
What you want to do is to dip the wrap in a shallow bowl of warm water until it gets soft and then immediately place it on a dry, flat surface like a cutting board.
The lettuce leaf serves as the ‘backbone’ to the wrap and provides structure and crunch. After that, add the tofu because again, it’s more sturdy and can nestle into the lettuce leaf. After that, I top the tofu with a row of noodles so that their soft texture fills the middle of the roll.
At the end, you want to place a light layer of veggies evenly on top of the noodles and then pour the sauce over the whole mixture. Top that with your additional veggies and cilantro – that’s really fun because they will be seen through the transparent rice paper, creating a colorful, inviting little snack.
Once the rolls are made, cover them with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out, and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. They’ll last for about 2 days since they’re a pretty delicate recipe.
Other spicy recipes of mind that you definitely need to try:
Spicy Vegetarian Zucchini Boats
Spicy Vegetable Stir Fry with Peanuts
Spicy Coconut Lemongrass Squash Soup
To mix it up here is a peanut sauce option:
Don’t forget to drop me a comment below if you try these!
Tofu Summer Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 8 ounces firm tofu
- 1/2 cup mayo spread, divided
- 1/4 cup Sriracha sauce
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 8 ounces dry brown rice vermicelli noodles, prepared according to package directions
- 12 medium romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 cucumber, cut into thin strips
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and cut into matchsticks use bell pepper as a non-spicy alternative
- 20 sprigs fresh cilantro sprigs
- 12 spring roll wrappers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking pan with coconut oil, arrange tofu strips and bake for 30 minutes.
- Make the spicy sauce by combining ½ cup mayo, Sriracha sauce, lime juice, garlic and brown sugar. Set aside.
- Cook the noodles, drain and combine with the remaining 1/4 cup mayo in a bowl and massage lightly with your hands to coat.
- Prep the cucumbers, carrots, jalapeno/pepper, and cilantro and set aside near a clean, dry cutting board.
- Fill a dish with very warm/hot water that you can still comfortably touch with bare hands. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, soak in the water until pliable, about 20 seconds. Lift the wrapper out of water and allow the excess water to drip off before transferring to your cutting board. Place a lettuce leaf on the lower third of the wrapper and fill with 2 strips of tofu, a small portion of noodles, and 2-3 strips each of cucumber and carrots. Smear the filling with 1 Tablespoon of sauce then top with a slice of jalapeño or pepper and 2 sprigs of cilantro. Fold the bottom of wrapper over the filling, about 1/3 over the bottom of the lettuce leaf, then fold in the ends and roll up tightly like a burrito.
- Transfer each finished roll to a platter or parchment paper. Repeat with remaining wraps and cover rolls with damp paper towels, then plastic wrap to preserve. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container until serving.
Nutrition
Ginger Hultin,MS, RD, CSO
Thanks for visiting! If you're struggling with a cancer diagnosis, autoimmune condition, gut health problems, or even a medical mystery, nutrition can make a HUGE difference in your day-to-day life. I run a virtual, concierge private practice where I partner with my clients over time to help them improve their health through nutrition. Be sure to visit the blog for easy, plant-based, anti-inflammatory recipes and our "Resources" page for a variety of self-paced programs, books, e-books, and nutrition podcast episodes.