Asian Lettuce Wraps

I have had this recipe on my mind all summer, and we finally made it. Its usually something we eat a lot during the summer and, oddly enough, we haven't made it this year. But, in an effort to get you a great summertime meal idea, I had our family eat it before Brian traveled this week. Actually, just Brian and I ate it. I made the kids a PB&J rather than fight it. It is VERY rare for me to make something different for our kids than we are eating--we just don't do it. But if I'm making a salad for our meal, then I usually try to at least have a sandwich they can fill up on. I can't complain about my kids being too picky as eaters. They do great...I mean they all love raw red bell pepper sticks in addition to cucumbers and carrots and Micah can down some broccoli! And they do amazing with Chinese food! And much more. But I get my fair share of "Mo-om! I don't want the green stuff! Get it out!" My mom would say this is turn about fair play! So, for you adults and maybe your older children....I hope you enjoy this! I'm not sure that those of you who are in Africa or Europe who are reading this can get all you need, but those of you around Asia should find everything in your market!

This recipe looks lengthy because of all its parts, but it takes 30 minutes or less to put together and can easily be done earlier in the day and then just pulled out of the fridge at dinner time if you want!

Asian Lettuce Wraps (or Salads)

Lettuce
Wash lettuce and reserve as many large leaves as you can for your wraps. This works great with iceberg lettuce or with green leaf lettuce.

Peanut Sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbs sesame oil
3 Tbs grated ginger (or use about 1 tsp ground)
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (creamy works, but the peanut chunks make it better!)

Cook in saucepan on medium heat until peanut butter is melted. Pour into bowl and serve at room temperature. Extra will keep well in the fridge for a few weeks.

Cucumbers
1 1/4 lbs cucumber, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces (if you get little ones, don't worry about seeding)
1 Tbs rice vinegar (white works)
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
Dash of red chili flakes

Mix everything together, except cucumbers. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add cucumbers and chill.

Bean Sprouts
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts, washed
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs sesame seeds

Heat oil in skillet. Add sprouts. Cook 3 minutes. Add soy sauce and seeds. Simmer on medium high heat another 2-3 minutes. Sprouts should be translucent, but still have a little crunch. Set aside to cool.

Chicken
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips (we dice them in case they are tough--makes it easier to eat!)
1 Tbs sesame oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.

Season raw chicken with some basic spices. Heat oil over medium heat (use the same skillet you did the sprouts in!!). Add chicken and cook until tender. Put into serving dish to cool or serve warm.

Add additional veggies if desired--I personally think some little matchstick carrots or some chopped green onion would add nice flavor, too.

Layer chicken, sprouts, cucumbers, and peanut sauce in your lettuce leaf. Wrap and enjoy!!

You may want to just shred the lettuce and top with everything, using the peanut sauce like a dressing and eat as a salad. Not quite as fun, but a little less messy!

Note: For those of you that have never worked with sesame oil, let me tell you that it has a very distinct smell (Brian burns candles in our house after I cook this!), but it really gives this a lot of its Asian fusion flavor. So if you can, use the sesame oil rather than just substituting another kind.

I don't have a picture for every step, but I did better, right?!?