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Turmeric tofu rainbow wraps + creamy peanut sauce

Colorful, crunchy rainbow wraps loaded with fresh veggies and crispy tofu. Dipped in peanut sauce and avocado Sriracha hummus for a flavorful, healthy way to power through your day!

Rainbow wraps filled with colorful veggies wrapped in a collard green. Served next to a side of creamy peanut sauce.

Welcome to another year, friends! How is it already mid-January 2021??

Whether you spent the holidays in quarantine or managed to see family or friends (in small groups ofc) – I hope you found yourself with a happy heart and full belly. I did a lot of eating and a lot of relaxing over the holidays and it was just what the doctor ordered after the year we had collectively, and individually. Anyone else?

I originally posted this recipe January of 2018, but thought it deserved some sprucing up. These wraps are the perfect reset after a season of heavy eating. One of my intentions for 2021 is to incorporate as many whole foods in as many colors as possible, into my diet.

The Breakdown

These beauties are loaded with fresh, vibrant vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and red cabbage, crispy turmeric tofu strips, and are paired with two flavorful dipping sauces you’ll want to eat with a spoon. And you probably will.

Jump to Recipe
Bowl of avocado Sriracha hummus next to cilantro and half an avocado.

The first is an avocado Sriracha hummus that you can make as spicy or not spicy as you’d like. The smooth, creamy hummus is a perfect texture contrast to the wrap.

Creamy peanut butter sauce in a jar topped with crushed peanuts and cilantro next to a small bowl of peanuts.

But it’s the peanut sauce that really takes these rainbow wraps to the next level. The combination of peanut butter, ginger, soy, and lime gives it a very well-balanced savory, nutty, umami vibe that is the perfect match for the cool, crunchy wrap. Plus, they are super filling despite the fact they’re veg on veg on veg on—nut?

Aside from being gorgeous, flavorful, and texturally pleasing – they’re packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants, skin-friendly minerals, and other vitamins and nutrients essential for feeling your best.

And array of rainbow wraps filled with colorful veggies wrapped in collard greens. Some wraps are whole and some cut in half to reveal the colorful veggies.

Tips for Making the Best Rainbow Wraps

There are a few helpful tricks when it comes to making tofu rainbow wraps or using collard greens as the vessel for any type of wrap. Let’s get into it!

First and foremost, you’re going to want to mise all your ingredients ahead of time. This means you’ll prep and chop all the components beforehand, so that everything is easily accessible when it’s time to build your wrap. When prepping your veg for the filling, try to cut ingredients into similar shapes and sizes – thin strips or julienne works best for this wrap. It’s okay if a few ingredients don’t match the others, but the more uniform your cuts are, the easier it will be to wrap.

Tray of prepped veggies and tofu to fill rainbow wraps with.

Full disclosure: the assembly prep for these takes a little time, but once you have everything chopped and prepped you can keep it in the fridge and make them all week!

Okay, next topic—tofu.

The secret to crispy tofu is getting it dry afff before frying it. You’ll want to continuously dry the tofu after each cut, while you are cutting it down into matchsticks. When your towel or paper towels get fully saturated, grab new ones. Another important factor is your oil temp. You’ll want to make sure it’s hot enough before adding the tofu. If your oil isn’t hot enough, the tofu will end up soggy. To test, simply toss one piece of tofu into the oil – if you can hear it sizzle, you’re good to go! If not, let it heat a while longer.

Steamed collard greens drying on paper towels.

Another essential tip is to steam or slightly blanch the collard greens. This will make them more pliable, so the leaf doesn’t break while wrapping. This makes allllll the difference – trust me. I explain how I do this in the recipe below.

When it comes to wrapping, make sure you don’t go overboard with the filling ingredients for two reasons.

One – it will not be fun to wrap and will guaranteed fall apart. And two – the wrap is super crunchy because of all the raw veggies, so you don’t want to make it difficult to chew through. Smaller wraps with fewer ingredients are key, here.

Colorful veggies, tofu, and peanuts piled on top of a collard green to make a rainbow wrap.

As far as the actual wrapping process goes, it’s basically the same concept as a burrito.

You’re going to load your ingredients in the center, but slightly to one side. Then fold the collard green over the ingredients tucking the filling in tightly. Next, you’ll wrap up the sides like a present and begin to roll it over itself. If you’re scratching your head right now, check out this short tutorial I found on YouTube!

How to Ditch the Recipe: Rainbow Wraps Edition

These wraps can be filled with ANY produce or protein you fancy. I like to keep it colorful—that way I know I’m incorporating a variety of nutrients—but the options are endless! Below are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Protein: Tofu, shrimp, chicken, steak, beans or fish of any kind—cooked, canned, smoked, raw sashimi-grade, lox. You think of something else, you put that sh*t in there!

Produce: Jicama, zucchini, radish, sweet potato (fries/wedges), cabbage, bell peppers, hot peppers, asparagus, corn, edamame, mango, pineapple, apples, pears. Pickled veg are also welcome. Kimchi would be fire too, just make sure you drain the juices really well.

Sauce/spread: IMO the peanut sauce is what MAKES THESE WRAPS. But you could use teriyaki, any kind of hummus, or veggie dip if you’re using mostly veg for the filling. A citrusy crema or mango sauce would be delicious if you were to use any tropical fruit in the filling, like pineapple or mango.

Add-ins: Grains such as rice, quinoa, or couscous. Dried fruit like cranberries, cherries, or raisins. Crunchy nuts like cashews, almond, or hazelnuts. Cheese seems like an odd pairing for this particular wrap, but it could work with other filling ingredients.

If you were to wrap buffalo chicken with shredded lettuce, red onion, and avocado, for example—blue cheese would be a great addition. Other cheese options are goat cheese, feta cheese, parmesan, Cotija, swiss, gouda, smoked cheese, mozzarella, nacho cheese lol.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or send an email to ditchtherecipe@gmail.com. If you make this salad, let me know how you ditched the recipe. Share it on Instagram and tag @ditchtherecipe—I love to see what you’re making!

I wish you all expansion and joy in the year ahead. Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and cook some damn good food. :)))))

Enjoy.

Check out some of our other energy boosting (and colorful) favorites!

Turmeric Tofu Rainbow Wraps + Creamy Peanut Sauce

Lauren Regnier
Colorful, crunchy rainbow wraps loaded with fresh veggies and crispy tofu. Dipped in peanut sauce and avocado Sriracha hummus for a flavorful, healthy way to power through your day!
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Assembly time 15 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Main Course, Snack
Cuisine American Fusion

Ingredients
  

For the wrap

  • 8 collard greens
  • 1-2 cucumbers sliced thin
  • a few handfuls baby carrots sliced thin
  • 1-2 cups purple cabbage shredded
  • 1-2 red bell peppers sliced thin
  • 1-2 jalapeños seeded, deveined, and sliced thin
  • crispy tofu see recipe below
  • cilantro
  • 1/4 cup peanuts chopped

For the tofu

  • 1 package extra-firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • avocado oil or ghee
  • salt

For the hummus

  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 1 avocado
  • Sriracha to taste
  • lemon juice to taste
  • ponzu or soy sauce
  • salt to taste

For the peanut sauce

  • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup ponzu or soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp grated ginger or ground ginger
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions
 

Rainbow wrap prep

  • Start by prepping all the ingredients for the filling.
    Cut carrots, cucumbers, and red peppers into thin, matchstick pieces. Seed and devein the jalapeño and slice thin. Shred purple cabbage or slice thin. Roughly chop cilantro and chop peanuts. Set aside.
  • Next, trim the stems of the collard greens by cutting off the hard, non-pliable part of the stem. Steam or blanch the greens just slightly to make them more pliable.
    I take a large skillet and fill the bottom with a 1/2 cm of water or so. Drop the leaf in and press down to fully saturate for a few seconds. Flip and do the same on the other side. Layer between paper towel to dry and let cool. Set aside.

Crispy turmeric tofu

  • Dry off the tofu using paper towels and begin to cut into matchstick pieces, continuously drying the tofu after each cut. The key to crispy tofu is getting the tofu extremely dry before frying it, so don’t hold back here.
  • Coat bottom of a non-stick skillet with your oil of choice. I like avocado oil or ghee because it has a high smoke point. Heat over medium to med-high heat.
  • Once the tofu is dry and cut into matchsticks season with turmeric, garlic powder, and cayenne. Sometimes I add seasoning to the hot oil to bloom the spices and deepen the flavor. Fry tofu in oil until edges are golden and crispy. Move around with tongs to get an even fry on both sides.
  • When tofu is done, let dry on paper towel and sprinkle with salt while it's still hot.

Avocado Sriracha hummus

  • Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. The Sriracha, lemon juice, and ponzu are all to taste, so just add some dashes and splashes until it tastes the way you like. Season with salt.

Creamy peanut sauce

  • Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until texture is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust ingredients as you see fit.

Rainbow wrap assembly

  • To assemble wrap, lay a collard green down on a large cutting board or flat surface. Layer the carrots, cucumber, red pepper, jalapeño, cabbage, cilantro, peanuts, and tofu in the center of the leaf, but slightly to one side. Now fold in the ends of the leaf and roll it pulling front to back while keeping everything tucked in tight.
    Check out this short tutorial for a visual.
  • Cut wrap in half or keep whole. Serve with hummus and peanut sauce to dip.

Notes

For helpful tips, check out the Tips for Making the Best Rainbow Wraps section in the blog post. 
Keyword peanut sauce, rainbow wraps, tofu

Did you make these rainbow wraps?

Tag @ditchtherecipe on Instagram and hashtag #ditchtherecipe

Rainbow wraps filled with colorful veggies wrapped in a collard green.

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2 Comments

  1. I made these wraps for our Super Bowl snacks. We loved them! Since we live where collard leaves are not easy to find in the winter, I used Napa cabbage leaves and it worked great. I also added thinly sliced radishes to the veg line-up. The hummus spread added nice heat and we added a little more Sriracha before rolling up. I learned a bit more about frying tofu which is not in my wheelhouse! Love your blog and all the different flavor profiles you create!

    1. First off, yayyyy I’m so happy you made one of my Super Bowl Roundup Recipes——thank you for being a DTR insider! Love the Napa cabbage swap, what a great idea. And I”m so glad you learned something new! Thanks for sharing 🙂

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