Swiss Chard and Tofu Wraps

Do you know what tickle massage is? Those nice and gentle finger strokes? So hi, I’m Daniella and I looove tickle massages, preferably hands and back tickle massage. There is even a known story in my family about the time I was a baby and that in family gathering all my aunts would give me this hand tickle massage at turns till I fell asleep. Why am I telling this? One day, when Tamar was still a toddler, Lior came running to me: “You have to see it,” he said, “you wouldn’t believe.” I hurried after him to Tamar’s room quietly, and there she lay, asleep, and in her sleep she raised her right hand, and in her left hand … gave herself a hand tickle massage! while sleeping! exactly like me…

So many times in life we see in our children character traits and behaviors that are just like ours. Far beyond a similar appearance, or expressions they hear from us and follow, things that belong to us, suddenly reflected in our children. Ido has the musical sense that his father has. Lior remembers things in great detail just like his mother. I show love through food like my mother.

And maybe that’s the meaning of eternal life.

But our children are not us, nor should they be. And although it’s very cool to see ourselves in them, it’s even more cool to see them developing their own personalities, building their own special ways in the world. After all, that’s all we basically want, isn’t it? For them to spread their wings and fly away. Wherever they want … 😊

Swiss chard salad is a regular salad at Shabbat dinners for as long as I can remember. It is one of the most humble and favorite salads I know. My mother, who is without a doubt the best cook in the world, always makes sure to show it to me before we sit to eat. “Look,” she says, “I made it for you.” As part of my attempts to make the same salad at home, and because of my need for protein, came the addition of tofu, and it remained there because of the taste and the upscale to its texture. I pack all this goodness in tortillas, and there you have it- a full meal that taste like home.

Swiss Chard and Tofu Wraps
makes 10 wraps

Ingredients:
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard (about 10 leaves)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, thin slices
6 oz/ 150 gr firm tofu, cut into ½-inch /1 cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon harissa (spicy chili paste)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
Juice from half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

10 whole wheat tortillas
pesto or other kind of paste for the base of the tortillas (I use coriander pesto from here)
1/2 cup coriander (about 2 stalks per tortilla, leaves only)

Instructions:
1. Getting the swiss chard ready for cooking: wash thoroughly the leaves and stems, remove from the chard’s stems the hard fibers with a small, sharp knife. After cleaning, finely chop the leaves and stalks and place them in a cooking pot with boiled water, bring it to a second boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Drain well from excess water.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and saute the chopped onions for about 5 minutes until they begin to turn golden. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add the chopped swiss chard, harissa, cumin, chili flakes, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix well, lower to medium-low heat and cook for another 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add the tofu cubes, stir and cook for another 3 minutes until all the liquids evaporate and the stems of the chard are soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3. Take a tortilla (you can heat it on a skillet before assembling) and spread a tablespoon of coriander pesto, stack over 2-3 tablespoons of the swiss chard and tofu salad and add about 6-8 cilantro leaves. Roll the tortilla into the roll, you can start folding about a third of the tortilla in and then roll the sides to form a pocket.
4. Store the salad (without the tortillas) in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days.

Notes:
• Instead of tortilla, you can eat the swiss chard and tofu salad with the addition of rice.
• I don’t recommend to store assembled tortillas in the refrigerator – the tortillas will go soggy. If needed, keep the salad apart and assemble before serving.
• Instead of coriander pesto, you can use any other pesto, dried tomato spread, peppers paste or other spreads you like.
• To make the classic Moroccan chard salad, simply don’t add tofu, and continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates from the salad. In this case, the salad can be kept in the fridge for up to a week.