Those looking to lose weight may often choose to drastically limit or completely cut out sugar and carbs. Sure, a diet of fresh vegetables and lean proteins is highly effective at keeping weight in a good place. But how much chicken and veggies can one person consume? Plus, food can get pretty boring after a while.
Besides, just because we eliminate sugar and starchy carbs, that doesn't mean we don't still crave things like pasta, sandwiches, potatoes, and rice. Not to worry. As with so many things in this modern world, we just need to find a loophole. For sandwiches, it's lettuce wraps. Crispy, crunchy, leafy lettuce can be filled with all sorts of fun stuff and take the place of bread, tortillas, egg roll wrappers and other starchy vehicles that we don't want to eat.
Fill romaine lettuce with hummus, grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumber and olives for a Mediterranean-style sandwich. Or, pack leafy greens with black beans, grilled chicken or steak, pico de gallo, and guacamole for a guilt-free version of fajitas. Or, sauté some ground turkey with garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, and scallions for the following tasty treat.
These are just a few ideas. What other ingredients can you think to fill a lettuce cup with?
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced or grated
- 1 Tbs oyster sauce
- 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbs reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts, minced
- 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated, cleaned and dried
Directions
- Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add ground chicken or turkey and brown, breaking apart into small pieces until cooked through.
- Combine pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, lime juice and soy.
- Add sauce, water chestnuts and scallions and cook until heated through.
- Season to taste with additional pepper and/or soy sauce.
- Serve with lettuce cups and optional accompaniments to allow diners to create their own.
- Garnish with shredded carrot, bell pepper, peanuts, scallions, cilantro and/or lime wedges if desired.
- Enjoy!
