Fresh and Healthy Lettuce Wraps

I first saw these Asian Lettuce Wraps over at Annie’s Eats. What struck me about them was how colorful and fresh they looked. I love the wraps at P.F. Chang’s, but we do not have a restaurant at all close to us, plus making homemade versions of restaurant favorites always saves on fat and calories. And in this case, it definitely doesn’t sacrifice on flavor. I dare say these are tastier… and they’re healthy… a win/win!

I made these for a girls’ night with two of my dear friends. We used to have a book club, which with motherhood has evolved into a rent-a-movie club. My friends are good cooks too and along with these wraps we had bacon-wrapped scallops, bruschetta topped with roasted peppers and gorgonzola and some girly martinis.  It was a fun night!

And these wraps are definitely a keeper. They don’t take long to put together and they reheat well. These will now be in my permanent rotations for when I need to bring an appetizer somewhere AND for lunches I can have on-hand in the fridge for myself. I even think my kids would eat the filling, but maybe in a tortilla wrap instead of the lettuce. Seriously, print this recipe and put it in your menu plan for the week… you won’t be sorry!

Also, if you are first-time visitor to my blog, I have my first-ever giveaway going on through Tuesday, April 23rd. Click on this rafflecopter link to enter to win a $25 gift-card from Amazon.com  Thanks!

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Fresh and Healthy Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

for the sauce

• 3 T. hoisin sauce an all-natural brand if you can find it
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. sirarcha sauce
• 1 T. white wine or rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 t. light brown sugar
• 1 t. sesame oil
• 1/2 t. salt

for the filling

• 1 T. grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 green onions chopped
• 2 T. fresh grated ginger
• 1 c. shredded carrots divided
• 1/2 c. minced onion
• 1/2 c. chopped red pepper
• 1/2 c. chopped yellow pepper
• 1 small green apple peeled and shredded
• 1 lb. ground turkey the 99% fat-free brand I used was about 1 1/3 lbs... I used it all
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 c. frozen peas
• Boston or Bibb lettuce washed and separated into individual leaves for serving

Instructions

• Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well with a fork. Set aside.
• In a stock pot, heat the grapeseed or canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, green onions and fresh ginger and saute for about 1 minute. Add the onion, peppers, apple, and half the shredded carrots and saute, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and salt and saute, breaking up the meat. Cook for another 7 - 8 minutes, or until the meat is beginning to brown and is completely cooked through. Turn the heat to medium and stir in the sauce and peas. Cook for about 2 minutes and remove from heat.
• Allow filling to cool a bit and serve right away with the lettuce, or refrigerate the filling and reheat in the microwave when ready to serve.
• Top the wraps with the remaining shredded carrots and extra sirarcha sauce, if desired.

Notes

Adapted from Annie's Eats