Paleo Turkey Lettuce Wraps

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As soon as we moved into our new home, I made a point of stocking the fridge with healthy ingredients and getting the kitchen set up immediately. I wanted to set us off on a healthy foot by cooking our first few meals at home instead of going out and exploring the nearby restaurants. We have all the time in the world to explore, but what we do in the first few days seems like it will create a habit for us.

I wanted that habit to be a good one. 

Our first night, I filled the house with the aromas from this recipe. It's delicious, spicy, and full of asian flair. Kind of like a way healthier version of P.F. Changs' Chicken Lettuce Wraps (don't tell them I said so...).

Paleo Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1.25lb ground turkey breast, lean
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
• 2 tsp fish sauce, divided
• 2.5 tbsp liquid aminos or coconut aminos, divided
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 head of small romaine (they are about half the size of normal romaine)

Directions:

1. Combine ground turkey, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, and 1 tbsp aminos in a pan on medium heat. Break into small pieces as it cooks and stir frequently.
2. Meanwhile, rinse romaine and then cut off the white part of it that connects them. Dry with a paper towel and set out in a bowl or on a plate for serving.
3. Make the sauce! In a small ramekin, combine 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp fish sauce, .5 tbsp liquid aminos, and 1 tbsp sriracha.
4. Season turkey with salt and pepper and stir, then remove from heat and set out in a bowl.
5. Serve! Place a few tablespoons of turkey inside each romaine wrap, and then sprinkle with the sauce (do this sparingly if you are sensitive to heat - it is spicy!).

Note:

• If you are really spice-sensitive, try reducing the amount of sriracha in your sauce.

Creativity and Lettuce Tacos, With a Little Bit of Kundalini

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How was your weekend? 

Mine was wonderful, with just the right combination of activity and rest. Friday, fiance and I went on a date. Then, Saturday, we did an insanely hard Spinning class, then I went to Blogger Book Club, and then we had dinner with one of our fave couples at a schwanky restaurant in West Town. Yesterday, we relaxed, had a yummy breakfast at The Breakfast Club, and tried our first session of Kundalini Yoga!

Delicious spread at Blogger Book Club, hosted by Kelsey

Yummy dinner at Leopold in West Town

Swirlymon Coffee at The Breakfast Club

Creativity and Kundalini? 
Yesterday, fiance and I decided to take a yoga class at the gym. Neither of us were feeling up for anything highly aerobic, because we were both absolutely wiped and needed a day to rest. So, we saw something called 'Beginner's Yoga' (we are not beginners, mind you) on the schedule, and decided to give it a try.

Totally not what I was expecting. As it turned out, the instructor taught Kundalini Yoga. I know, you thought the "Kundalini" in the title was an Italian dish, didn't you? I don't blame you. Fun fact, though: I don't like Italian dishes. I legitimately dislike pasta (notice there are like zero pasta recipes on my food page).

Anyway, apparently, Kundalini as a yoga practice is meant to "cultivate the creative spiritual potential of a human to uphold values, speak truth, and focus on the compassion and consciousness needed to serve and heal others" (yes, I'm quoting Wikipedia again). Most of what I got out of that explanation was the part about cultivating the creative spiritual potential.

So, what's the deal with Kundalini Yoga? It was just alright. The instructor had us do small repetitive movements for about 2 minutes each, combining it with breathing techniques. I'll admit that I did feel some heat in my arms, and, at one point, in my abs... but, when I'm spending an hour in a class, I expect a bit more than that.

That said, who knows. Maybe my creativity has been increased in its wake. Who knows what kind of magic I'll whip up today?!

Lettuce Tacos? 

Fiance loves himself some Turkey Tacos. They're lean, they're mean, and they're just darn good. It's been our Sunday Night meal for a while now.

But there's one thing I just don't love about it, which is what I call the vehicle. The taco shell, itself (or it-shell-f? ha). Just as your car is a vehicle to get you to Hobby Lobby (loveeeeee), the taco shell is really just a vehicle to get that turkey and cheese goodness into my oh-so-happy mouth. I could eat more of the turkey and less of the taco shell.

Enter large lettuce heads. Bib lettuce, if you will. I grabbed a head of it for $0.99 at the grocer. Now, I can get my fill on that delicious protein, instead of spending on the carby carb carbs.

It's kind of like if skinny fish tacos and turkey lettuce wraps had a baby. You could also do something similar with Swiss Chard, and it would be a bit more hearty, so you could really load those babies up with meat.

Really, though. Check it out. His and hers tacos?

Questions...

• How was your weekend? I want to know!
• What have you done creatively this week - in the kitchen or elsewhere? 

Cilantro Chicken Swiss Chard Wraps (with Teriyaki Sauce)

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Swiss Chard is my new best friend. Seriously. Any of you low carb dieters out there ought to introduce yourself to Swiss Chard. Go ahead. Don't be shy. Just walk right up and... take a bite. 

Why? Because Swiss Chard is the perfect substitution for any of the following: bread, sandwich wraps, tortillas, taco shells, etc etc etc... Basically, anything that you used to use as any sort of wrap.

I've seen numerous "lettuce wrap" recipes (and even created one of my own, many moons ago) that use regular big pieces of lettuce. These are surely delicious (as I said, I've tried them!), but I do have two issues...

1. First, regular P.F. Changs-inspired lettuce wraps take far too long to make. There is too much chopping and slicing and dicing and mixing and measuring... so, while some of you methodical and detail-oriented folks may thrive on the recipe, it's just not feasible for my tiny little attention span... Good thing these Swiss Chard Wraps are easy and have half the ingredients!
2. Second, the large lettuce leaves typically used in P.F. Changs-inspired lettuce wraps break quite easily. This creates a physical mess on my plate as well as an emotional mess when I fail to get all of the food into my mouth. Oh. The. Agony. Good thing these Swiss Chard Wraps are unbreakable (seriously) and actually act like a wrap, instead of breaking all over your plate!

Have I convinced you yet? Come on! Just try a bite...

Cilantro Chicken Swiss Chard Wraps

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Calories: 209
WW Points (Old): 4
WW PointsPlus (New): 5
Servings: 4


Ingredients:

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts - Either 3 regular chicken breasts or 8 thinly sliced (I used 1 package of thinly sliced chicken breasts for quicker cooking and cutting)
• 3 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon Cavender's Greek Seasoning
• 1 cup of Cilantro, chopped
• 4 stalks Green Onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Sunflower Seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce (look for a low-sugar version, if possible)
• Lemon Juice from 1 Lemon
• 8-10 large leafs of Swiss Chard, rinsed
• Optional: Shredded cheese to top

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in a medium pan with White Wine Vinegar over medium heat. Sprinkle half of the Cavender's Greek Seasoning on top of the chicken breasts. After 10-12 minutes, flip each piece of chicken and sprinkle the other side with seasoning, then cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until there is no visible pink meat within a cut chicken piece.
2. While chicken breasts are cooking, chop cilantro and green onion and place in a medium bowl.
3. Once chicken breasts are cooked, chop into small pieces (mine were less than 1/2 inch on each side... you're welcome to be more or less picky!) and add to the bowl with cilantro and green onion.
4. Add sunflower seeds, teriyaki sauce, and lemon juice to the bowl and toss or shake well.
5. Serve with rinsed leaves of Swiss Chard, which can be used just like a lettuce wrap or tortilla/taco wrap. Garnish with your chosen shredded cheese, if desired!

And The Oscar Goes To...

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2011 was the birth of my blog. It screamed. It kicked. It barfed glitter all over the walls... 

We look ahead in eager anticipation to a fantastic 2012 (blah blah blah) but, hey, before we speed off into the future, let's take a moment to say goodbye to what we're leaving behind.

Do your darndest to choke back the tears.  I believe in you! :)

Oreo Truffles

Reese's Cupcakes

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Pumpkin & Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Scrabble Coasters

Wicker Park Apartment Re-Vamp

Rustic Hardware & Faucet Coat Hanger

Let me know which ones you think are best! :)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

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Just about everyone I know is obsessed with the lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs.  After seeing an attempt to crack the secret here, I was inspired to create my own.

    

The recipe below will yield what I made last night.  I fed five people, everyone got as much as they wanted, and there was a tiny bit left over.  If you're cooking for two people, and are only eating this as a side, I made a note next to each ingredient suggesting how to alter the recipe.

WARNING:  This recipe breaks my low ingredients rule by a long shot.  It has almost 10 ingredients and requires a lot of slicing and dicing.  That said, it's full of vegetables and low carb, so I suppose that combined with its sweet amazing tasty goodness will make up for the work it takes.

What You Need:

• Large pieces of iceberg lettuce (to use as a wrap)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil [1/2 tablespoon for side]
• 16 ounces of ultra lean ground beef [4 for side]  (Can substitute chicken here)
• 1 large green pepper, diced [1 small green pepper for side]
• 2 cups shelled & steamed edamame beans [1/2 for side] (I couldn't find shelled edamame beans at the grocery store, so I actually did the labor of steaming them and then squeezing the beans out of the pod.  It wasn't horrible - but I'd still recommend pre-shelled beans if you can find them).
• 3/4 cup soy sauce [3 tablespoons for side]  (If you don't have this much, it's alright to under-do it a bit on the soy sauce).
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds [1/2 tablespoon for side]
• 1 large cucumber, diced [1/2 cucumber for side]
• 1 cup chopped green onion [1/4 cup for side]
• 2 handfulls of cilantro, chopped [one small handful for side]
• Lime juice from 2 limes [1 lime for side]

How to Make it:

1. Using a saute pan, cook ground beef with the green pepper and the canola oil.
2. While beef is cooking, chop the cucumber, green onion, and cilantro, and juice the lime.  Set this to the side (to be used in a few minutes).
   
3. Once beef is cooked, add the steamed edamame beans, sesame seeds, and soy sauce.  Stir and heat for a few more minutes.
   
4. Remove from heat and put into your serving bowl.  Add the chopped cucumbers, green onion, cilantro, and lime juice.  Toss together.
   
5. Serve with lettuce pieces!

Enjoy!