Lettuce Wraps

This recipe is great for after the holidays because it's light, fresh and, while low on calories, is actually big on flavor. It's fast and easy to prepare and kids like it because they get to assemble the pieces themselves.

Slice finely 1/2 a seedless cucumber
Julienne finely 1-2 carrots (peeled)

Slice finely 1/2 -1 red onion

Clean a cup or so of bean sprouts (the fat kind that often come in Chinese food)

Clean 1/2 a bunch of fresh mint and 1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro

Clean and dry a head of lettuce, something like red leaf or Boston, keeping each leaf whole. You need a lettuce that will hold the ingredients like a tortilla.

For the protein you really have a lot of choices. For this batch I seared and sauteed boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a clove of garlic and then sliced them up for serving. For a vegetarian option tofu would work great, particularly the baked ones you can find in health food stores and Whole foods. You could also use skirt steak, sliced across the grain.


Dressing-
Juice of 1 lime
about a teaspoon of sugar
a couple tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
1/2 a cup or so of canola oil (or some other very light flavored oil)
salt and pepper
Whisk ingredients together and adjust to suit your taste. Should be slightly sweet and limey.






This dish works great with this condiment. (Sweet Chili Sauce) ---)













I serve the wraps with white rice. Simply place all fresh ingredients on a plate together. Serve the protein warm-hot seperately and the dressing on the side. The idea being that people create their own lettuce wrap to suit their personal tastes. Just lay down a leaf of lettuce, stack the other ingredients inside, and roll up in a similar fashion to rolling up a burrito. I will warn you that they tend to be messy and fall a part a bit but you can always scoop up the rest with your rice.

Enjoy!