I love a good egg roll! What makes this recipe special is that it is packed with so much flavor, that you can’t help but eat more than one…or two…or the whole plate. If you love the flavor of fresh ginger, garlic, sweet and sour sauce, with a little spice, then these are the egg rolls for you. Try the recipe below and let me know what you think!
Ingredients:
1 Pack of egg roll wraps
1/2 Pack of extra firm tofu
1/2 Jar of sweet and sour sauce
1/2 Bag of any kind of super food mix (cabbage, kale, carrots ect.)
1 TSP of chopped fresh ginger
2 Chopped garlic gloves
1/2 TSP of crushed red pepper (optional)
1/2 TSP of black pepper
1/2 TSP of garlic powder
Vegetable oil
2 Green onion stalks (Optional for garnish)
Directions:
Cut pack of extra firm tofu in half, refrigerate the half you are not using and wrap the half you are using in a few paper towels to drain the water. Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.
Once drained, chop tofu in cubs. Heat about 1 TSP of oil in a pan and add tofu. Allow tofu to brown on both sides.
While tofu is browning, chop garlic and ginger.
Once done, add sweet and sour sauce to tofu and cook on medium heat until sauce becomes sticky and set aside.
Cook super food mix (I used the one pictured above) in a little oil and add garlic powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, fresh garlic and ginger.
Once cooked down add tofu and mix together over low heat for about 1-2 minutes.
Grab an egg roll wrap, coat the sides of the wrap with water, add about 1-1 1/2 TPS of mix in the center of the wrap and fold. (Instructions on how to fold wraps are listed on the back of the package)
Heat oil, once hot, cut the heat down a bit. The egg roll wraps cook really fast and you don’t want to burn them.
Becoming a vegetarian is easily one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life! I have learned so much about food, flavor and even discovered a passion that I never knew I had. The journey of becoming a vegetarian, for me at least, wasn’t as hard as you would think but trust me, things did get a little weird for a while. I figured I could share with you how my now 8 year journey has been and hopefully encourage you to either stay strong or give vegetarianism a try! (Even if it’s just meat-less Mondays).
It all started in February of 2011, two boring teenagers (My best friend and I) had absolutely nothing to do with ourselves, so we decided to be random and say we were going to be vegetarians for a week…because why not. I’ll never forget my last meat meal was a Jamaican chicken wrap from Tropical smoothie (I worked there at the time and it was one of my favorites). Finally the day came, February 7th, 2011, Super bowl Sunday and it was time to start this “one week” journey of randomness. Sadly, my best friend tapped out on me only after a few hours but in her defense, her mom made grilled chicken and steak and ribs and burgers for the Super bowl and she broke immediately ( 8 years and I still have not let her live this down). I however, was super determined to stay the course, so that I could prove that I could do it. I’ll never forget the first thing I cooked. I made some weird spicy cream spinach and homemade tortilla chips that I sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on. I know what you are thinking but it was actually really good and that was the first time I discovered that I really liked that sweet and spicy flavor profile. My interest was peaked and I decided to do research on what it really meant to be a vegetarian. I read books and articles and even watched documentaries. One documentary in particular that I watched was Food Inc……Yeah, that one. I just remember staring blankly at the computer once it was over and stating ‘I will never get meat again.’
Needless to say, my one week journey of being a vegetarian has now stretched out to 8 years , 3 months and counting. It was a bit of a roller coaster in the beginning. I was always hungry and as a result, I ate carb, after carb, after carb and after 1 year and 50lbs later, I knew I needed to make a change. That is when I learned to trade my carbs for protein instead. I also go back and forth between being vegetarian and vegan. I love the idea of veganism but seriously, have you even had Gouda cheese!! To this day, I still do a vegan month from time to time but I realized being 100% vegan was just not me for. Honestly, the craziest part of becoming a vegetarian (besides the fact that my family and friends did not believe me until I was almost 2 years in) was the dreams! I had meat nightmares guys!! Do not laugh because it was serious. I would get chased my hot dogs and cooked chicken, BBQ ribs forcing me to eat mac-n-cheese but the dream that I had more frequently and that scared me the most, was drowning in a pool of pork chops! I literally would wake up screaming or drenched in sweat. The dreams lasted for about 2 years, more in the first year and then on and off in the second year before they completely stopped. You don’t know fear until a rotisserie chicken and chasing you down the street.
I believe compared to others, I kind of lucked out when it came to my journey. Almost like, it was destined for me to be a vegetarian because I did not find it extremely difficult. I tell people all the time, it is 100% mental and you have to be ready mentally in order to start the journey because if not, you will be just like my best friend on day one….or hour 3, haha. I have so many stories and so much more to tell but I don’t want to post be any longer than it already is. So in closing, I hope that there is at least one person out there that can relate to my story or my post has lighten my mood a bit for anyone who may be scared to start vegetarianism. There is no perfect way to start or some secret formula, everyone’s journey will have different flowers, so take yours for what it is and allow it to bloom in it’s own way.
Hello everyone and welcome to TLKitchen! I am Telisha and it is my goal to inspire you all with positivity, love and some good food! A little about myself: I am originally from Norfolk, VA and have recently moved back to Virginia after spending some time in North Carolina. I have been a happy Vegetarian for 8 years and when I tell you I love food..I LOVE food! People tell me it’s weird to hear a vegetarian say they love food but it has always been my mission, since the beginning, to create wholesome meals that are packed with flavor. I mean really, who wants to just eats salads all day? (I love salad but everyday? Hard pass).
Aside from sharing my favorite recipes,I also will have a page that will be dedicated to my regular, every day blog post. I want to share food stories, tips/advice, pretty much anything food related (or somewhat related…there may be a post or two about my cat). Most of all, I just want to write with no intent. I want this blog to be care free, a place where we can all unbutton the top button of our pants and just relax. I hope you all decide to join me on my blog journey!
TlKitchen 