P.F. Chang's Night

So, Brian and I love P.F. Chang's.  Love it.

I always loved their Lettuce Wraps before I became a vegetarian, and luckily they started making Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps soon after I did.  Livin' right bonus.

Brian has tried them a few times and mentioned that he thought they were really good, {even though it's Tofu} so I, of course, decided to try and make them for us at home.

I had the idea that this might be a healthier {and less expensive} alternative to eating out. 

I also may or may not have seen P.F. Chang's turn up on a couple of "Unhealthiest Restaurants" lists...but I digress.

So, a few nights ago, Brian headed to the store while I was at work.

He's cute. 

Not only that, he bought Tofu, {got a weird look from the checkout girl} AND he drained and pressed the Tofu when he got home...

Man of my dreams.

So I put this together using several different recipes I found online...and my imagination.

Now, I only used half of the package of Tofu, but you know my mantra, just eyeball it.

Unfortunately, I have had a few really awful experiences trying to cook tofu at home.  This was actually my first successful attempt & I think it is because one recipe I found called for Baked Tofu. 

SO spread the Tofu out on a lightly greased baking sheet and preheat the oven to 375. 

Bake for 30 minutes, tossing it halfway through.

Heat up 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil, mixed, over medium heat.
Fry the tofu for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, and then set it aside.

This was my first time using fresh ginger.  Yum.

Thinly slice sides off of the ginger root until all of the rough skin is gone and you are left with a cube.

I put about a Teaspoon of freshly grated ginger into the heated oil along with:

half of a large White Onion, diced

2 Green Onions

& 2 garlic cloves, minced

Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the mixture at this point, stir & cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.

The Water Chestnuts are probably my favorite part & they're what I think really makes the P.F. Chang's connection. 

Drain and rinse them and give them a rough chop before adding them to the saute.

Next add 1/4 cup of Hoisin Sauce...

& 1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce, {I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos}

I do not know how they get the lettuce into those perfect little pieces at the restaurant...I tried my best, but I probably only got 1 or 2 good pieces.

{you'll also end up with A LOT of leftover lettuce, so you should probably plan on having a salad for lunch the next day}

But even though the lettuce pieces weren't perfect...
these. were. good.

Really good.

A few recipes that I found were way more complicated than this is.  But I just felt that with the onion and garlic and ginger and hoisin sauce and soy sauce...it was enough. 

And it was delicious.  I think next time I might use a little less of the Hoisin Sauce and a little more Soy Sauce...we'll see. 

Let me know if you try this at home! 

I'm working on coming up with my next Restaurant @ Home meal...any ideas?

Until then.