Healthy Lettuce Wraps

It’s that time of year when New Year’s Resolutions are in full swing and we are all trying to lose that holiday meal weight we gained.  Well I am trying to drop my holiday weight anyways. After talking to some friends about healthy eating I came home and asked my husband what he wanted for dinner and this is what he asked for.  I thought what a great healthy recipe to share!  These taste VERY similar to the lettuce wraps you would find at some popular restaurants, but better for you!

These lettuce wraps are a great portion size for two people for dinner.  If we are really hungry sometimes I will steam some rice to go with them, but these really are enough for a meal!  For this recipe you use a good amount of soy sauce.  Now soy sauce can be really salty and you really have to be careful with it.  So what I do is buy the low sodium soy sauce so I can control how much salt I want in my food.

Another great thing about this recipe is you can change it up as you like!  Sometimes I will add some bamboo shoots, sometimes I will add some radishes, carrots, bean sprouts, carrots, really anything.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons oil (I use canola)

1 pound ground chicken or ground turkey

1 cup water chestnuts cut into pea size pieces

1 cup mushrooms (I like shiitake) cut into pea size pieces

1/2 cup bamboo shoots

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (more to taste)

3 Tablespoons diced onions

2 garlic cloves minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Head of  Iceberg or butter lettuce

Dipping Sauce:

1/8 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Juice from one small lemon

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1-2 teaspoons Sriracha

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

 

Directions:

Make your dipping sauce first the longer you let it all sit together the better it is.  In a small bowl combine all the dipping sauce ingredients and stir making sure the sugar dissolves.

Now make the stir fry sauce.  Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the brown sugar is dissolved.

Next make your chicken or turkey filling. In a large skillet or wok bring oil to high heat.  You will start to see some smoke  come off the oil and that is fine!  Add your meat and cook until it is almost done.  Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook until the meat is done.  Turn the heat to medium low and add the stir fry sauce.  Let this simmer for a couple of minutes then add your mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots.  Stir everything up so that it is all evenly mixed.  Let it continue to simmer so that all the flavors cook together.  After about 5 minutes taste your filling.  Add some sesame oil, salt, pepper, more soy whatever you think it needs!  If you are using sesame oil be very careful with it. It is a very strong flavor.  Turn the heat off and get ready to serve.

Wash your lettuce and carefully remove whole leaves so you have like a lettuce cup!  Butter lettuce is better when you find it in season.

Have your chicken or turkey filling in a bowl, your lettuce on a plate and your dipping sauce in a bowl!

Put your filling in the lettuce, top with your dipping sauce and enjoy!!!

These are quick and easy!  I hope you enjoy this recipe and hopefully it gets you out of the healthy eating rut!

~Cheers