In my quest for eating healthier, I have found a brand new love. Lettuce wraps are delicious, healthy, and can be filled with crunchy vegetables and healthy meats. My first encounter with lettuce wraps was about four years ago at the Cheesecake Factory. It was pretty late and I did not want a full meal, so I ordered the lettuce wraps appetizer. It came out looking like a full meal! (It was the Cheesecake Factory, though, so I should not have expected any less.)
Since that experience, I have been experimenting with the bases, the fillings, and the dipping sauces.
Lettuce:
Bibb lettuce is the usual base for a lettuce wrap. Romaine leaves or iceberg lettuce leaves can also be used because of their heartiness. Many lettuces such as red leaf and green leaf seem to be too delicate to use in lettuce wraps. I have found raw cabbage leaves to be very hard, and radicchio to be too bitter as a base for a lettuce wrap.
Filler:
When it comes to the filler for lettuce wraps, almost anything goes. Finely chopped or shredded chicken, lean cooked ground beef or ground turkey breast, seasoned and cooked tofu cubes, black beans, and raw or lightly sauteed vegetables can make healthy fillers. I knew a friend who cooked tuna filets, shredded them, and made a basic tuna salad. At first I thought that the creaminess of the tuna salad would not work with the lettuce, but it turned out delicious. Because of the size of the lettuce leaf, the amount of filler you must cook is minimized, which can save on the grocery budget. Honestly, you can cook a small package of two or three chicken breasts and have enough food to fill 8 lettuce leaves.
Dipping Sauce:
The dipping sauces to dip lettuce wraps can be varied as well. The ones that are typically found in most restaurants is a sesame ginger dipping sauce and a spicy chili dipping sauce. To make things easier, you can use prepared salad dressing. Kraft has a delicious light asian sesame ginger dressing that is wonderful with lettuce wraps. Picante sauce, chunky marinara, pesto sauce, and even honey mustard are great dipping sauces. You can also mix up quick sauces right in your home. Mix and match flavors for interesting sauce combinations.
Here is my favorite recipe for lettuce wraps, as of today. I have not finished experimenting, so it may change.
Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wrap with Ranch Dipping Sauce
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Texas Pete Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped celery
8 – 10 leaves Bibb lettuce
8 ounces light sour cream
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix
Place chicken in Ziploc bag. In a small bowl, mix hot sauce, olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest together. Pour over chicken. Close bag and place in refrigerator 20 minutes to marinate. Meanwhile, mix sour cream and ranch seasoning mix in dipping bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Heat skillet to medium heat and pour contents of bag into skillet. Cook 10 – 12 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink. Finely chop chicken.
To assemble, place 2 tablespoons each of chicken, carrots, and celery in lettuce leaf, fold in sides and roll closed. Dip in ranch sauce, then crunch to your heart’s content!
Sources:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/lettuce.html
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sandwich/LettuceWraps.htm
