FIRECRACKER LETTUCE WRAPS

OK, mine weren't firecrackers, more like sparklers! My husband cannot tolerate much heat. Super yum!

You can find the recipe at “Pinch of Yum”: Firecracker Vegan Lettuce Wraps.

Admit it. It is fun to eat food with your hands. It feels primitive, natural, and enhances your eating experience. Early man did not have forks or chopsticks! Here is an excerpt from an Epicurious article:

"Eating is sensory. And, in using your hands, you take the sensory experience to another level. You add another whole sense—touch. Since so much of taste and enjoyment of food is about texture, your hands function as another way of exploring the feel, the consistency, the make-up of your food. ...From an evolutionary standpoint, that's a big reason my fingers exist in the first place."

What I did differently:

-Used low sodium tamari instead of soy sauce

-Reduced the sesame oil to 1 teaspoon (Dr. McDougall allows a small amount, Dr. Esselstyn's program does not)

-Added 1/4 cup water

-Reduced chili paste in half

-Replaced sugar with 3 dates and blended the sauce ingredients in a high speed blender

-Used 2 large cloves of garlic

-Used 16 oz firm tofu since it is what I had. Cut into small pieces and baked 350 degrees for 45 minutes, tossing half way through

-Replaced brown rice noodles with bean vermicelli because it is what I had. Soaked in hot water for 10 minutes then cut with kitchen scissors.

-Added 8 oz chopped baby bella mushrooms, 3 sliced scallions, and 1 chopped small zucchini. Dry sauteed these in a small wok until softened, then added the baked tofu and noodles. Tossed. Then added about 3/4th of the sauce.