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Asian Lettuce Wraps

With your protein of choice.

In an attempt to eat more protein, I'm trying to get myself to like chicken again. So I made this with ground chicken, but I'm thinking it would be great with tempeh. And I'm sure it would be good with beef, if you're into that sort of thing.

I pieced this together from several recipes on the internet, and settled on this version because it was easy and didn't require many ingredients. This works well for a tired weekday dinner.

Aside from my uncertainty about eating chicken, this was delicious. I'll be making it again with tempeh soon.


The Recipe (serves 2): 
1/2 head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated
1/2 lb ground chicken, tempeh, or other protein
1 tb canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tb fresh ginger, grated
2 tb hoisin sauce
1 tb soy sauce
2 tb rice wine vinegar
1 tb chili-garlic paste
2 ribs celery, minced
4 green onions, sliced
1 tsp sesame oil

  • Saute onion in canola oil for 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes more, until onions are soft and chicken is browned.
  • Add garlic and ginger, stir, and cook 1 minute.
  • Add hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili-garlic paste. Stir well to combine.
  • Add celery, green onions, and sesame oil. Stir and turn heat to low. Eat immediately or simmer on low until ready to eat.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: B
Overall reason: A bit too sweet from the hoisin, but tasty and fairly healthy.
Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Husband quote: (He was wrapping big quantities of filling in whole lettuce leaves, while I was breaking off small pieces and wrapping a bite at a time. He was making a gigantic mess.) Jess: "It's like sloppy Joe's without the Joe." Me: "How come my plate is so much neater?" Jess: "I don't know." Me: "It's because I'm breaking off smaller pieces." Jess: "Oh. I didn't know that was an option."


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