Open Kitchen
Did you happen to hear that we went to Phoenix?
And that we ate at a restaurant with an open kitchen called True Food Kitchen?
And that my new life’s mission is to make everything we ate off of their menu?
I really need a hobby.
A pedicure, a toothbrush that doesn’t have Snoopy on it, and a hobby.
Little travel tip for you: don’t pack clear nail polish with a faulty lid in the same travel bag as your uncovered toothbrush or you’ll wind up with a nice shiny top coat on your teeth and then buying the first toothbrush you can find. And inexplicably using the toddler toothbrush for two weeks after you get back.
“Good grief!” is right, Charlie Brown.
I think I’d like a closed kitchen. The more isolated the better, Because there really is quite a lot you don’t see that goes on in our kitchen, and quite a lot I don’t want to see.
Ballet clothes thrown on the stairs after class.
Lulu singing “Bah Bah Pickle” in her underwear.
Gigi frantically looking for her homework folder.
Lost lens caps.
Soggy Cheerios still on the floor from breakfast, now becoming lunch for some sugar ants.
Trying to figure out if Sharpies come off curtains. They don’t.
Countertops full of dirty cutting boards, condiments, homework folders, and lens caps.
Lulu bent over in her underwear and wiggling her bottom in Gigi’s face.
“Good grief!” is right, Pea Kitty.
No, you don’t see it all.
Perhaps it’s better that way.
Tofu and Mushroom Lettuce Cups
Makes 2 entrée sized portions or appetizers for 4
- 8 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 4 oz. mushrooms (button or shitake)
- 1 1/2 t. garlic, minced
- 1 T. ginger, minced
- 2 T. lemongrass, minced
- 2 T. reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 T. organic hoisin sauce
- 1 T. rice vinegar
- 2 T. water
- 1/4 c. water chestnuts, chopped
- 1/4 c. cashews, chopped
- 8-10 large lettuce leaves (Bibb or Boston)
- garnish: shredded carrots and fresh cilantro
Cube drained and pressed tofu into 1/2 in. x 1/2 in. pieces. Pea Daddy and Lulu aren’t huge tofu fans, so the more it looks like mushrooms, the better.
Cube mushrooms into similar-sized pieces. Gigi isn’t a huge mushroom fan, so the more it looks like tofu, the better.
I wasn’t kidding about wanting a closed kitchen.
Toss mushrooms and tofu in a skillet that has been spritzed with oil or cooking spray and placed over medium-high heat.
Sauté mushrooms and tofu until you get some nice color on them, and then add garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cook for an additional minute.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and water.
Reduce heat on stovetop and slowly add sauce to the pan of deliciousness that most certainly is not mushrooms and tofu.
Add water chestnuts and cashews, and stir to coat.
Spoon mixture into the center of your large lettuce leaves.
Garnish with shredded carrot and cilantro and serve.
Oh. My.
You know the rest.
Sweet, spicy and finger lickin-good. Served with some steamed edamame, it was an incredible meal.
The flavors in these wraps are so delicious, you could definitely lead meat-eaters to think they were eating chicken.
No one said, “Ew, tofu.”
No one said, “Ew, mushrooms.”
And Lulu put pants on. Or did she?
“Good grief!” is right, Gigi.
I just made the same thing last night for dinner (well very very close at least!!) YUM!!
Really! It was awesome, huh?
Oh my goodness, Mama Pea, I just did a happy dance when I saw this post. Seriously! No Lie! The reason I did the happy dance is because I just had a similar dish at PF Changs last weekend and I was racking my brain trying to figure out how I was going to recreate it at home. The tofu was even diced really small just like yours. So excited to give your recipe a whirl.
PS. We are now eating vegan 6 days a week. This coming from a meat-eating family. I kid you not before August of last year we were eating meat 7 days a week. I initially started to change our diet because my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, I’m so happy to have found you and Dreena Burton because meat almost makes me sick now. I just like how we’re eating so much better now. Weird! And, I’ve lost 15 lbs. and hubs has lost 20 lbs. I’m lucky that he was willing to go down this path with me. And, our boys have adapted really easily, too. Love, Love, Love your blog and I cannot wait for your cookbook!
I just did the happy dance when I read this comment. So we are even.
Honestly, I cannot tell you the joy it brings me to read comments like this. I am so sorry about your mom and I hope she is on the path to recovery. When it comes to eating meat, I just think when you abstain for awhile and learn a new way to cook and eat, you really do not want to go back. Not just for health or ethical reasons, but because it has just completely lost it’s appeal.
You are very blessed to have such an open-minded and supportive family. And please, if there are other recipes that you think might help on your journey, let me know and I’ll do my best to take a crack at them!
God bless!
Omg that looks amazing!!
The last time I had something similar to that would have been PF Changs lettuce cups. <— Sodium much? (probably MSG, but I couldnt be sure)
The soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar combo that then is reduced is like…heaven to me. I would probably add ginger and brown sugar or agave b/c I just am a sweet sauce girl.
I tricked Scott last week with marinated raw mushrooms. He thought they were oysters or calamari. Clearly, he doesnt remember that I am anaphalactic to shellfish and that just touching them would send me to the hospital, but yes, I have a "mushroom hater" too. Or so he thinks.
Seriously, GREAT recipe! I want to make it! I shoulda pressed that tofu like you suggested last night
I told you
The hoisin is pretty sweet, but yes, feel free to add agave or stevia if you like it sweeter!
I’ll have to try this on my hubby and see if he thinks it’s meat, lol. He’d believe it if I told him it was. Looks delish!
Chop it fine, sista!
I had some chinese-y lettuce wraps on my trip too. But not that great. I am sure yours are much better. I will have to skip the hoisin unless I can find a gluten-free one.
BTW, I finally met a cat who rivals Pea Kitty. Hisses at everyone but her #1 human and attacks people as they walk by. I still loved her, but I feel much safer 3,000 miles away.
found one! http://www.glutenfree.com/index.cfm?dsp=public.products.detail&keyID=74438&gdftrk=gdfV22677_a_7c1014_a_7c3797_a_7c74438
Fantastic!
Ha ha, now you know my pain
I love her, just from a distance.
Mmm, these remind of the tofu lettuce wraps from P.F Changs…. except WAY better and cleaner
Yup! Theirs are tasty too!
Try fingernail polish remover on the curtains?
This looks fantastic! If I could eat the picture to taste it I would.
You should have your own cooking show in your kitchen. Instead of commercials there would be lovely renditions of bah bah pickle pickle
Awesome! I’m super excited about these
We love lettuce wraps… aaaaand my meat loving husband has just been converted to thinking tofu can taste good after we ordered thai food one night. Apparently I’ve been doing it wrong. Also, I served him mushroom gravy this week without telling him what was in it and he loved it. He’s a mushroom hater. I totally think I should try my luck with these 
Make sure you get a good sear on the tofu and mushrooms or they’ll keep a texture that he probably doesn’t like. You really can’t burn ‘em, so let ‘em get a bit crispy!
Geez, Mama Pea, you keep giving me good recipes to try. I’m not complaining, but if i keep making more meals in my room I’ll be less likely to run out of meal plan dollars by the end of the year (which would be a bad thing because I don’t think they can be refunded even though I won’t be back here next year. Meh, whatever.)
Then again I could always use the tofu from the caf, so that’s one thing I don’t have to buy. They have this organic smoked tofu from Salt Spring Island that is soo good. It’s also super addictive, so only on Tofu Tuesdays and Tofu Thursdays am I allowing myself to have it. I’m not afraid of soy but I don’t think it’s a good thing to have tofu twice a day every day like I used to.
I think I need to start writing less/stop telling you my life story in my comments. Hah, sorry =)
At least the tofu is organic? It sounds delicious!
Mmmm, tofu and mushrooms are so good together! Makes me want to go have a second dinner right now!
I won’t tell!
oh my goodness! these look too good to be true! i’m going to bribe my fiance to let me make these this weekend. (he’s afraid of tofu….). i bet these will convince him otherwise!
As I said earlier, make sure you get a good crisp/sear on the tofu. It won’t be squishy, which is what most people don’t like.
Haha! I used a very similar lettuce wrap recipe to trick my husband into eating mushrooms instead of chicken. I totally won and now he loves them. Now I just may have to try this recipe to trick myself into liking tofu…maybe…
I will be making these verrryyy soon!!! What is sprouted tofu? How is it different? My trader joe’s doesn’t have it, but I already know I want it!!
More more more! I used to make sang choi bau a lot when I lived at home with my meat-eating family, but haven’t tried a vegan version yet. This looks like a tasty version indeed!
Perfection in a leaf!!! Yummmmm
this is a recipe i’ll be making. shivers, i love me some lettuce cups
Good grief, Mama Pea. You did it again.
I think my non-veg Pea Mama & Daddy would even eat these.
And kudos to you for the mushroom/tofu cover up. Ilove them both, so the more, the merrier. I wish I had the knack for drying out tofu though. I still seem to end up with a blubbery, watery mess, but still love it.
Two words: tofu press.
Oh yes. It’s on the list. Just below the Vitamix.
One word: BROKE.
Try freezing the tofu first! I always find I can use the entire block up in time anyways and freezing seems to dry it out to the perfect consistency.
True…excellent tip!
YUM! I am trying to get my girls to eat tofu without saying “Ew- Tofu.” Must try this recipe out!
These look so good!
You have outdone yourself! I can’t tell you how excited I am to try out this recipe. And I’m looking forward to all of your recreations from this restaurant. It sounds like they are right up my no-added fat, plant strong alley!
I’d love to hear if you end up making them!
i think your OPEN KITCHEN looks even better. I must try this with tempeh too!
I have a somewhat similar recipe in the book that uses seitan.
HA! that last picture is PRICELESS…your girls are so hilarious.
also, i now have bah bah pickle pickle stuck in my head now. thanks LuLu. Thanks a lot.
Ok, I know other people have mentioned PF Chang’s as well and I had the SAME lettuce cups, thinking they’d be good but they were soooo ridiculously salty that I couldn’t finish them. They also had a bit of a funny texture and I couldn’t quite figure out what was in them… which is not a feeling I like! These sound like a much better version… and I’ve got my tofu all pressed and ready to go!
I agree. Plus they always seem really greasy to me.
Those look awesome! I’m always looking for new ways to do tofu.
I love everything served in lettuce cups. These look super yummy! I need to get myself one of those fancy schmancy tofu presses. It really does seem better than the paper towel/heavy object trick.
I LOVE my tofu press. I really do eat tofu and enjoy it more often now that I have one. Totally worth the investment.
I LOVE hoisin sauce! So delicious. This looks like such a great spring/summer night meal – light, easy, and refreshing.
I do too! It’s almost as awesome as BBQ sauce. Almost.
I love lettuce cups — but I never make them at home, just when we go out!
I’m sure you hear this all the time, but your posts crack me up and make me want to have kids!
Thanks! You can borrow mine.
haha – closed kitchens might be a good idea in your home!
YUM!! I’ve been wanting lettuce cups lately and these will satisfy my craving perfectly.
HOLY MOLY. I’m so excited to try this. Probably more excited than I should be!
No offense, but I find water chestnuts to be, well, offensive. Minus those, however, and these look great. I’m adding them to next week’s menu. I’m with you on the chaotic kitchen. I don’t think it’s possible to be otherwise when you combine an active family with a mom who likes to cook.
Said by the mom who just picked up her comb from the pantry. It never fails to amaze me how kids will play with my stuff more than their own toys. It certainly wasn’t me who put a comb into the pantry.
What! I love water chestnuts. I ate the rest of the can when I made these. And now you want to gag.
Your kitchen/house looks a lot like mine. I think it’s a mama thing.
I have an over-abundance of green lettuce right now so these would be a perfect non-salad use for them. We can only have so many salads.
You can never have enough salads!
Yum! I’m so trying this! I bought hoisin sauce the other week for a pad thai dish and as I was buying it I was thinking in the back of my mind, “Am I really going to use this again or will it just sit in my cupboard collecting dust??” Clearly, I still bought it b/c that’s how I roll. But now I have another use!!!! So excited.
You can use it in any kind of stir-fry too. I’ve even put it on a salad with some edamame before!
Ohh lettuce cups – be still, my heart! I love any foods you can eat with your hands; there’s something about that tactile experience that makes it more fun. These look so light and delicious, can’t wait to make them!
I love your sleeves/gloves with the thumb holes! My hands are always cold.
This salad looks so fresh and delicious. It really makes me want to start cooking with tofu…as long as it looks like mushrooms! Bah Bah Tofu!
It’s a Lulu hoodie with thumbholes
My husband hates tofu, I hate mushrooms. Hmmm…we’ll have to try this!
Hi Mama Pea!!!!!!
These look yummy !! I have always wanted to make lettuce wraps at home, I love the tofu ones at P.F. Changs, they are so good!!!!
Happy Weekend! Loving the Pink lulu hoodie!!!! xoxo <3
Have a great weekend too! Knew you’d love the Lulu
waffle house has an open kitchen… so not the same concept
Yeah…no.
Yum! I’m always looking for ‘tricked you, it’s tofu’ recipes! Thanks!
I was JUST thinking about how badly I wanted a lettuce wrap like the ones I made before I stopped eating meat! How serendipitous
I don’t do soy, but this makes me wish I did 
Looks delish!
I love thumb holes. And tofu. And mushrooms. And you. I think I will have to make these for myself and eat them all since Marshall hates mushrooms. I keep trying to get him to eat them.. maybe this one is the ticket. Just maybe. But probably not.
You could double the tofu and leave the mushrooms out…or just try to trick him
Love you too!
Was that a calculated decision to just randomly drop ‘Bah Bah Pickle Pickle’ into your post so that all of us would have it stuck in our heads again? If so, your plan worked.
“……hmmm hmmmm PICKLE PICKLE….bah bah PICKLE PICKLE…” <——– me, for the rest of the day. And probably tomorrow. Thanks.
Bah bah pickle pickle…bah bah pickle pickle…
Yum.. all the pictures/tutorial were awesome!! Thanks!
Blessings, Debra
Raw Vegan Diet
Lettuce wraps are so good! I’ve only ever had them at a restaurant. I wonder if I can trick my picky boyfriend (doesn’t eat tofu) into eating these…hmmm
I love lettuce wraps MP! Great recipe~~I haven’t had one in like 2 years I think. awww pea kitty looks so much like my fiance’s cat Sheba! errrrr Sheba, is that you? 0_o You guys are such a cute family.
Thank you! I hope Sheba is a nice cat.
You’re in luck, Mama Pea! I DESPERATELY need a Snoopy toothbrush. Slightly used, preferably. I will trade you for Oral-B, pink handle. Deal?
I assure you that you’re kicking ass in spite of the state of your kitchen.
My mouth is far too big for this toothbrush. And I have a feeling yours is too.
LOVE that last picture of the girls (my LilSis is 19 and she’s been wearing her hair that way since she was Lulu’s age
). I’m so glad you guys had a chance to try some great food in Phoenix–my town is seriously underrated in the culinary department!
I think I have commented and said this before but it’s worth repeating. You continue to motivate and inspire me on a daily basis. I have recently switched over to vegetarianism and there’s no turning back. Today is day 25 and I love it! I can’t believe I waited so long to do it! I am eventually moving to veganism but I am still doing all the research. Making sure I am eating a balanced diet, getting all the proper nutrition, blah blah blah. Your recipes are great and definitely helping to get me on track. This is one of the best decisions I have made for myself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, your recipes, your daily life, with all of us. I think I probably speak for everyone when I say we love you Mama Pea!
Congratulations! I’m so happy you are enjoying eating and living this way and I’m so proud to be a little part of it. Thank you so much!
I’ve lived in Arizona my whole life & am right next to True Foods at LEAST once a week (at the Nike store in Scottsdale Quarter) & have not ONCE eaten there. I try not to punch myself in the face daily for this fact. HOWEVER. I’m going there tonight, because all of your posts about it has finally pushed me over the edge. & because my husband finally caved and said he would escort me. That’s what meat deprivation will do to a ravenous carnivore of a man…it’s a beautiful thing
& in response to your previous posts about how much you miss Arizona…it’s 98 degrees today. Worst.April.Fools.Ever.
& in response to your blog that I read everyday but have never commented because I’m lamesauce like that….You.Are.Beyond.Awesome.
Don’t punch yourself in the face!!! There is actually meat on the True Foods menu, so your man will be happy. I’d highly recommend the lettuce cups, the kale salad, the ravioli, the tempeh BLT or the spaghetti squash casserole (though I never had that last one). My girls LOVED the pizza. And of course, chocolate pudding for dessert.
Enjoy your meal! I think you are awesomesauce, not lamesauce.
I notice you used sprouted tofu–I’ve seen it in the store but never tried it. Is it any different than regular tofu in terms of flavor or nutrition?
It has more calcium, iron and protein and is easier to digest! I didn’t notice a difference in flavor at all.
Great recipe, MP! So fancy and restaurant-ish.
Wow, I’m eloquent tonight.
Wow those look amazing!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Those tofu mushroom cups look delicious! They remind me of the lettuce wraps from PF Changs. YUM!
Yummaaaay in my tumaaay! These are like a healthy version of the lettuce wraps at PF Changs! Can’t wait to test these out!
Good grief, this looks great!
I love the reasoning behind the dicing of the mushrooms and tofu…what they don’t know won’t hurt them, right? Haha!
Lettuce wraps are my favorite and I havent made them in forever, I definitely bookmarked this link thanks for another delicious recipe
Yum! You could also add some diced water chestnuts for crunch…I can’t wait to try this! But first, the pudding.
I did add water chestnuts
i don’t like tofu (well, i’m on a non-tofu kick, i should say) and i don’t like mushrooms, but these look pretty dang good mama pizzle. i just caught up on a lot of posts (slightly embarrassed by the number…okay 10), and you continue to amaze me with your writing, ideas and posts you put together.
avon is lucky to have a mom like you
hearts!!
Miss you, Holls!!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that restaurant! I tried it with a friend in Phoenix and I’ve been dreaming about their hummus since. I know hummus should be pretty standard but there was something amazing about theirs. I also had panang curry and a kale salad that was amazing! Never thought about trying to make them. I’m looking forward to trying your recipes!
I wish I’d have tried their hummus now!
now i’m guessing this qualifies as “pealightful” but i didn’t see the banner… ??? i hope so b/c i want to make it real real bad!
starlight 5k in june??? wanna run it with me??
Oh no, these are totally Pealightful! Silly me.
I might do the 5K with you, I’ll email you!!!