TLT Sandwiches: The Quick Way to Make Tofu Delicious

TLT sandwiches—or tofu, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches—are delicious, easy to make, kid-friendly, vegan, kosher, and even somewhat healthy if you discount the fact that the tofu for this dish is prepared by frying. I make this all the time, usually because my kids beg me to do so. In fact, one of my kids (the picky one who won’t eat anything green except for pickles and olives) recently said to me, “People who don’t like tofu don’t like it because they haven’t tasted your TLT sandwiches.”

It’s kind of odd actually, that I would have developed some workable recipes for tofu, since I’m a YOLO foodie that delights in high fat, high carb, and high sodium foods. The thing is, one of my 12 kids turned out to be allergic to milk as an infant. He was so dreadfully allergic that if I ate ice cream and nursed him an hour later, he had a severe reaction (which you will thank me for not detailing here).

Tofu Is Calcium Rich

Though armed with an EpiPen just in case, it was clear I had to find an alternative source of calcium for me, that is, if I was going to continue to nurse him. There was no way I was going to wean a child of mine at the age of 3 months (did I say he was 3 months?), so I discovered tofu, which I was told was calcium rich.

The only problem was that tofu was not yet widely available where we lived. I looked into making my own. The process of making homemade tofu kind of took over my life for a while, but the stuff saved me (and my bones) during that lengthy period of time where I could not eat dairy.

Once I learned how to make tofu from scratch, then I had to figure out how to make it edible. I came up with a few recipes that suited my picky palate. Then of course, when I prepared it for me, my family members would beg me for tastes. As a result, even after my now 24 year-old son grew out of his allergy, a few of those tofu recipes became part of our family meal repertoire.

There’s the fake Greek salad, with tofu cubes marinated in a salty dressing so they rival the best feta cheese, my fake meat and “cheese” lasagna that would make your Italian Nona green with envy, and my TLT sandwiches with tofu “facon.” Lucky for you, I am now going to share my easy-peasy recipe for the latter which is a great way to get calcium and soy into children. Send your kid off to school with a couple of these babies in her lunch boxes and every kid in school will try to make a trade. But she’ll refuse. See if she won’t.

TLT Sandwiches

Make as much or as little as you like. Use approximately 3 slices of tofu per sandwich.

Ingredients:

• Firm tofu
• Tamari sauce
• Granulated garlic
• Canola oil
• Lettuce leaves
• Tomato slices
• Red onion
• Prepared mustard (the good stuff, I use Maille dijon)
• Whole wheat bread, sliced

Method:

1. Slice tofu thinly. Layer sliced tofu in a bowl then generously season with Tamari sauce and granulated garlic. Repeat, until all the tofu has been layered and seasoned. Let the tofu marinate, refrigerated, for at least an hour (if you’re not in a hurry).
2. Pour canola oil into a frying pan to a depth of about 1/8 inch deep. Heat the oil on medium heat. Add tofu in a single layer, fry until brown on both sides.
3. Drain the fried tofu on paper towels.
4. Spread bread with mustard, add a lettuce leaf, some tomato slices, some onion slices, and about 3 slices of the fried tofu. Top with second slice of bread spread with mustard. Cut sandwich in two. Serve.

 

 

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