Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

Similar to my love of Spinach and Artichoke Dip (Snowed-in-Superbowl 2010), I am also a connoisseur of chicken lettuce wraps. I have eaten them at many a national chain restaurant, and I can't get enough. I often have high blood sugar after I eat the lettuce wraps at restaurants, maybe they are not always as healthy as they sound! I wanted to make a version that had lots of veggies and still tasted great to kids and adults.

These use the juice of a fresh orange for some acid and flavor. There are lots of green veggies, you can swap out veggies if there is something you prefer. The addition of mushrooms and asparagus would be great! Water chestnuts offer some extra crunch and since the veggies are not sauteed for too long, they also remain fairly crunchy. I prefer almonds as a garnish, but cashews or sesame seeds would work too. I have made these several times and even my husband likes them, so that probably means kids would too!

 

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

1/8 cup green onion
1/8 cup chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped carrot
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets (½ lb)
¼ cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 small orange (¼ cup)
Pinch of black pepper or red pepper
1 cup zucchini diced
1 cup summer squash diced

1 cup chopped green beans

1 cup chopped snow peas

1 small can of chopped water chestnuts (1 cup)

½ cup water                                                       

16 whole Boston/Bibb lettuce leaves (1-2 heads)

Thin crispy Asian salad noodles to garnish

Slivered almonds to garnish (optional)

Makes 16 Lettuce Wraps (1/2 cup filling per wrap)

 

DIRECTIONS

 

Chop all vegetables and chicken. Add olive oil to a large sauté pan or wok over med-high heat, once sizzling add green onion, celery and carrots. Sauté for 3-4 min to begin to soften the vegetables. Add chicken to the pan and toss with the vegetables and oil, cook until opaque and use a spatula continue to toss chicken and vegetables while cooking, making sure to loosen anything that sticks to the pan. Add soy and the juice from the orange. Add the pepper to the mixture and continue to sauté to allow the chicken to cook through about 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining vegetables and water chestnuts allow these to cook for about 2 minutes and add water to loosen anything that may have stuck to the pan. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes tossing the mixture and allowing the liquid to evaporate. Serve hot over lettuce leaves and sprinkle about a teaspoon of noodle or almond garnish on each wrap if desired.

 

Fruit and Peanut Butter Tortilla "Pizza"

As I mentioned before, I have been creating some healthy recipes with kids in mind. I hope to use these for Aidan in a couple of years! Here is a recipe I created a while back, it can be a healthy and fun dessert. Kids get to create their own "pizza" with fruit and whole wheat tortillas. You can use whatever fruit you like, grapes or blueberries may be a nice addition. I use a simple combination of apples, bananas and strawberries. Toasting the tortillas is a must, it gives the pizza crunch. A drizzle of honey may be a nice addition as well, if you are not concerned with extra sugar.

Ingredients

4 low fat or whole wheat flour tortillas (6 inch)

4 Tbs creamy peanut butter

1 medium apple, diced

1 medium banana, sliced

8 medium strawberries, sliced

4 tsp mini semisweet chocolate chips

Makes 16 servings (1/4 of a tortilla)

Directions

Cut fruit and set aside. Bake the tortillas in a 450 degree oven for about 5 minutes until toasted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Spread 1 Tbs of peanut butter on each tortilla. Add ¼ of the apple, banana and strawberries to each tortilla. Sprinkle 1tsp of mini chocolate chips on each tortilla. Cut into 4 slices.