let’s time travel to 2013…
So you know how when you start eating healthy, all you can think about is food? Yeah. If you’ve got an extra 4 1/2 minutes (and really, even if you don’t), you need to watch this clip. It will make your Friday. It is how I feel at least once a day around 2:32 pm when I want to lay down on the couch and take a nap snuggled up to a bowl of linguine. So anyway. These Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps aren’t pasta. But they are one of my new favorite meals and are so delicious that it helps remind me that really great food doesn’t have to be bad for me (not that pasta is bad, but, kind of like Oreos and Friday Night Lights, I can’t do it in moderation). One thing about this recipe is that it cooks super quick, but there’s some prep work involved that can suck up your time. My trick is to do all the chopping and prep work earlier in the day when my older kids are at school and my wee one is napping so when I have five-million things going on in the afternoon and the thought of making dinner makes me want to curl up in my closet and sob, I don’t have to because all the hard stuff is done and dinner is ready in, like, 10 minutes tops.
how to make these spicy turkey lettuce wraps
You’re going to need super-lean ground turkey, your favorite lettuce leaves (I really like the living lettuce you can get at many supermarkets), green onions, cilantro, fresh ginger, lots and lots of garlic, shredded carrots (I just buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots), cucumbers (I love the mini English cucumbers that don’t need to be peeled), chopped red bell pepper, and chopped cashews. You can also add in half of a seeded, chopped jalapeno (I actually prefer adding Sriracha to the sauce because it’s easier to control the heat whilst feeding the kidlets).
For the sauce, you’re going to need (in addition to the Sriracha, if you’re using it) soy sauce, brown sugar, and lime juice. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, I forgot the limes in this picture.
In a medium bowl, combine the turkey, green onion, garlic, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate until dinner time or let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. When ready to cook, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook until done. While the turkey is cooking, whisk together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, the juice of 2 limes, a tablespoon of brown sugar, and Sriracha to taste (if you’re using it). Keep in mind that what’s a little spicy in the sauce will be not spicy at all once you mix it all together. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the cooked turkey mixture.
Drizzle with the sauce and toss to combine. Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves and eat like a taco. This makes 4 generous servings–it could conceivably serve 5-6, though.
Nutritional Information (for 4 servings): Calories: 243.5 Fat: 6.5 Carbs: 14.1 Protein: 35.5 Fiber: 2.1
