Enjoy Some Cool and Tasty Lettuce Wraps

I love trying new recipes. I especially like trying something that I’ve eaten and enjoyed at a restaurant but never made at home. So when my friend, Allison Dudman, told me she’d just served her family some lettuce wraps and got rave reviews, I immediately begged for the recipe. Being very easy to get along with, she complied and handed it over.

Allison and I both added our personal tweeks to the Asian sauce recipe and I think have come up with something really good. This past weekend I tried it out on some unsuspecting house guests and they proclaimed it a success. Why serve a new recipe to just your family when you can spring it on a larger group of people? Spread the joy ... or whatever. 

—Know any good recipes? Tell us in comments below.

This recipe calls for peanut butter so if you’re peanut intolerant, move on. I used natural creamy peanut butter which is a little thinner in consistency than regular peanut butter. 

I think you’ll enjoy this refreshing, high protein, low calorie meal. I served it with whole grain pita chips and fruit. 

For more of my recipes, go to www.carolgfrey.com to purchase my two humorous cookbook “Have You Considered Cooking?” and “The Grits Shall Rise Again!”. 

Lettuce Wraps
Asian dressing ingredients:

• ¼ cup peanut butter (I use natural peanut butter. If using natural peanut butter add 1 tsp of brown sugar to sauce.)
• 3 Tb soy sauce
• 1½ Tb sesame oil
• 3 Tb rice vinegar
• 2 tsp ginger
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp red chili garlic paste (comes in a jar-seems more saucy than pasty) You may add more of this to taste...it may be a burning your tongue kind of taste!

filling ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins
• Asian seasoning packet
• romaine lettuce leaves (may use iceberg)
• 2 cups julienne carrots or thickly grated
• 1 sm. can sliced water chestnuts
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped celery (optional)
• 1 sm. can bean sprouts (optional)

prep:
Sauce, may be made a day ahead.

Combine all sauce ingredients in a jar and shake well (after putting the top on the jar) to mix. 

Filling:

Wash lettuce leaves, dry and set aside.

Sprinkle some of the Asian spice packet mix onto the chicken.

Heat 1-2 Tb. of sesame oil in a skillet, add chicken and saute until done.

Shred the chicken and set aside.

In same skillet, heat 1 more Tb of sesame oil, add onions and saute for 2 minutes, then add remaining veggies and saute for another 2 minutes.

Build lettuce wraps by first placing some shredded chicken in lettuce leaf, then veggies and finally top with sauce.

Let everyone make his own. Why should you do all the work?

Serves 4.

Don’t miss any Suwanee news. Subscribe to Suwanee Patch’s free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.