Copycat Lettuce Wraps

When you crave something cool to eat, or at least something light, lettuce wraps are perfect. Often they can be found on restaurant menus under the appetizer section, but I like eating them as a meal. I just eat more of them! In fact, this recipe is a copycat of those famous wraps everybody loves at P.F. Chang’s Restaurant. What makes this recipe so fantastic is that wonderful marriage of sweet and spicy flavors that I like so well.

But, of course, it’s been modified, to suit my taste and to be healthier. There are probably no less than a thousand recipes out there for lettuce wraps, but what tends to be a big digestive problem for me with most Asian food is either the corn-starchy, sugary component, or tons of soy sauce in their sauces, which I find sometimes overwhelming anyway. This sauce is completely digestion-friendly, and soy-free. I found it on a site called cavegirlcuisine.com and I think it rocks.

I love the crunch of the nuts, the slight sweetness from the little bit of honey, all balanced by the spiciness of the Sriracha. I make this dish a lot. It’s probably the best lettuce wrap I’ve ever had!

Makes good leftovers for lunch the next day. Serve with a side of cauliflower rice or if you eat grains, regular white or brown rice, or maybe a fried rice dish. If you’re especially hungry, add a side of stir-fried vegetables.

Make sure to properly chop everything very fine. You want the mix to be small enough so that you can adequately wrap a lettuce leaf around the filling. Big chunks won’t do!

Also, you can make this dish vegetarian if you like by using a soy crumble, or breaking down tofu with a fork to resemble ground meat.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
5 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
3 Tbsp. coconut aminos (soy sauce alternative)
4 cloves of finely minced garlic
1/4 cup almonds, preferably sliced, or rough-chopped whole ones
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. Sriracha hot sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. finely chopped cilantro

Directions:
Heat oil in a wide sauté pan. Add the chicken or turkey and brown a little, making sure to crumble the meat into the smallest possible bits. When nearly cooked all the way through, add mushrooms, onion, ginger and garlic and cook until limp. Add remaining ingredients, except for cilantro, and stir together for a couple of minutes, then remove from heat.

Serve with either Boston Bibb (my favorite) or iceberg lettuce leaves that have been washed and thoroughly dried. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.