Tofu Cucumber Banh Mi

June is Blood Pressure Awareness Month. Looking to lower your sodium intake? Bread flies under the radar, but it's surprisingly one of the highest sources of sodium in the American diet. We're bringing you bread-less sandwich specials all month long to prove just how easy it is to cut back on the salt.

Taste our creative, flavorful, and fresh Tofu Cucumber Banh Mi and don't blame us if you never want to go back to boring bread.

Tofu Cucumber Banh Mi

Our breadless Tofu Cucumber Banh Mi has about 1/3 the calories and sodium than your average traditional Banh Mi. By using cucumber slices instead of bread, we're adding fresh, bright flavor and a bit of extra crunch. It's gluten free too!

Portion size: 1 sandwich (1/4 cucumber), Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Tofu:

1 pound extra firm tofu

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/4 teaspoons lime juice

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1/2 tablespoon canola oil

For the Pickled Carrot and Daikon

2 1/2 ounces carrots, julienned

2 1/2 ounces daikon, cut into matchsticks

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons warm water

3 tablespoons white vinegar

For the Sandwich:

1 English cucumber

1 1/2 teaspoons sriracha

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1 ounce cilantro sprigs

Instructions

Cut tofu in half lengthwise. Press tofu between two baking sheets, overnight if possible, or for at least 2 hours.
Whisk together garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro. Pour over tofu and marinate at least 1 hour. Spray grill with cooking spray. Grill tofu halves until marked, about 1 minute on each side. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes.
Toss carrot and daikon with salt. Place in mesh strainer and allow to sit for 3 minutes, tossing occasionally to help rid excess water. Place carrot and daikon in a non-reactive container. Whisk together warm water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir in vinegar. Pour pickling liquid over carrots and daikon and marinate overnight. Drain.
Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and then again widthwise. Use spoon to scrape seeds from cucumber, creating a boat. Use a vegetable peeler to strip a peel off of the bottom of each cucumber boat so that they sit flat.
In a small bowl, make sriracha mayo by combining sriracha with light mayonnaise. Chill.
Top each ¼ cucumber “open faced sandwich” with: 3 oz cilantro lime tofu, 1 tbsp Sriracha mayo, ¼ cup pickled carrot and daikon, and a few cilantro sprigs.

Nutrition info per sandwich (1/4 cucumber): 195 cals, 12 gm fat, 2 gm saturated fat, 360 mg sodium, 10 gm carbohydrate, 4 gm sugar, 3 gm fiber, 15 gm protein

For more breadless sandwiches, check out our recipe for Turkey Rachel Sweet Potato Sandwich.

For more information about this article or others, please email us at FLIKblog@compass-usa.com.