Must Try ::: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

ALL PHOTOS BY ME, OF MY RECIPE. 

Should you wish to reproduce this on your own blog, please contact me.

This is actually a recipe I adapted from a local meal-prep place that went over so well, I tried to recreate it myself.  We were both skeptical of it when I ordered it initially, so I didn't order very much, and it ended up being one of our absolute favorite dishes from there to date.  Since he requested it so many times, I started tinkering trying to come up with something vaguely similar. I think I might be getting there...however, I tinker with things, and end up with something a little different.

I am not particularly adventurous in the kitchen, though I have figured quite a few things out on my own that I am pretty proud of.  Stay tuned for my chicken noodle soup, and possibly meatloaf recipe, when the weather gets a bit cooler, since I normally don't take photos of my cooking mishaps...I almost forgot to take the photos when I made this for dinner!  

Just so you're not surprised---the images I took for this particular posting are of a variation using boneless chicken breast in place of the ground turkey and I didn't use the peppers as I didn't have them that evening.  I don't believe I garnished with peanuts, either (recipe blog fail!)  I have made this recipe many ways depending what I have in the fridge/freezer at a given time. It works very well in many variations.  

Please note that you can omit the Peanut Butter and Peanuts if you have a nut allergy in your home. It will change the flavor slightly but not in a major way. 

I use a lot of broccoli slaw and vegetable filler in this recipe to bulk it up without adding a ton of calories or carbs, since the sauces kind of carb it up, the original recipe I was copying didn't use the slaw or veggie filler at all, that was my inclusion to add more bulk and make more meals from it.   I also put a few little variations at the bottom. 

Ingredients:::
2 heads bibb, boston or butter lettuce leaves, separated, cleaned and dried, using the best leaves
1lb raw Ground Turkey (I normally buy 93/7 because I think it's got better flavor, but you could mix breast or use just breast)
1 12oz pkg broccoli cole slaw (I usually use Mann's, 12oz is not required, but its the size of the bag and I usually use the entire bag)
1/2 bag shredded carrots (I usually use Grimmway farms, bag is 10oz)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped red or green peppers
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped coursely
1 tbsp chopped garlic (I buy the prechopped jar variety and get some of the oil in the tbsp)
1/4 cup Maui Mountain Teriyaki marinade
1/2 cup Frank's Sweet Chili Sauce (more or less to taste, I usually use a little more, I like saucy)
2 tbsp Peanut Butter (I usually use the Walden Farms version)
1/4 tsp cayenne powder for zing (more or less to taste)
chopped peanuts to taste, for garnish

Directions:::
If you haven't cleaned and separated your leaves, do so now. You want them to dry and be clean before the meat mixture is finished because it takes a few minutes to get them cleaned up.  When I am taking the head apart, I usually trash the outermost two leaves and then when I get to the super inside part I get rid of those, too. Probably wasteful, but they're usually too wilted at the outside and often too big to be useful for this recipe.  I use either Fit or Rebel Green fruit and veggie wash usually and lukewarm water and then place them on a paper towel. 

In skillet, brown turkey and onions. Drain off any excess liquid carefully (I often just blot the area with a paper towel). Add water chestnuts, peppers, garlic, cayenne powder, half of the sweet chili sauce, the teriyaki sauce, peanut butter, carrots, and broccoli coleslaw and stir together well, sauteeing together to get peanut butter melted and blended in. 

When water chestnuts, carrots and broccoli slaw are starting to soften, add the rest of the sweet chili sauce and stir well to blend and coat mixture. 

Lower heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes til heated through (it's not super liquid so keep an eye on it). See, I like it saucy...yours won't likely be this saucy.

Spoon into butter or bibb lettuce "cups."  

Since it's just the two of us, I can usually put at least half of the recipe in a container and freeze it for another meal later, usually I try to section the pan into thirds and then have three total meals out of it. This makes enough for a family of 4 to eat a decent amount and possibly have leftovers.  I typically do a lot of filling in the leaves when I plate it.   In these images I made enough for us to have one meal with a little bit left over for my lunch the next day.

Here is how it looks all plated up before we take our plates to the other room to eat :::

Variations:::
--Replace turkey with grilled chicken breast. Cook the chicken breast in advance (you can use a little extra marinade if you want and bake it). Use at least 3-4 boneless breasts cut down/shredded to get enough meat (as shown in image above).

--Replace turkey with ground pork, ground chicken or lean ground beef in the same amount as above. Flavor will vary by changing the meat, as will the nutrition. 

--Replace peanuts with sesame seeds for the garnish.

--Omit peppers and use additional slaw.

--Replace bibb, butter or boston leaves with iceberg. 

Nutrition is approximate:::
Cals per serving (assuming about 5 leaves with a light 1/4 cup scoop per leaf, total 8 servings): 
Serving Size: 1 serving, Calories: 210.75, Fat: 6g, Carbs: 23g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 13g 

ENJOY!

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