Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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Ingredients

4 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced 2 stalks celery, finely diced 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely diced 3 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced 2 tablespoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground chicken (at least 90% lean) 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 cup bottled Chinese plum sauce 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 teaspoon hot chili paste, such as sriracha (or to taste) 1/4 cup unsalted roasted cashews, chopped 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish (optional)

 

 

 1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce .

directions

  • 1Liberally coat a large skillet with oil spray, and preheat it over medium-high heat.
  • 2Add the carrots, celery, bell pepper, water chestnuts, scallions, ginger, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften slightly, about 5 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water at a time as necessary to prevent scorching.
  • 3Reapply oil spray if necessary, and add the ground chicken to the skillet. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, breaking the meat into a fine crumble with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Season with the salt and pepper.
  • 4Add the plum sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste and stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until heated through.
  • 5Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the cashews and cilantro. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
  • 6Clean the lettuce and break off 12 individual leaves (trim away the stem ends of the leaves if they are tough). Fill each lettuce cup with roughly 1⁄2 cup of the chicken mixture. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

    • Mama’s Italian Chopped Salad

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    Ingredients

    1 (9-ounce) head romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into very thin strips, washed, and dried (about 6 cups) 1 cup drained and rinsed canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 1 cup pitted whole Niçoise or Kalamata olives or sliced canned black olives 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch dice 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound Genoa salami, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil (Love Note 2) 1/4 cup Mother’s Greek/Italian Dressing (see link in recipe below) Kosher salt

     

     

     Freshly ground black pepper 

     

     

    directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, garbanzo beans, olives, tomatoes, onions, provolone, salami, and basil.
  • 2Pour half of the dressing over the salad to moisten it. Mix gently, adding more dressing if necessary to make the salad moist but not soaked. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and serve.
  • 3Love Notes: An 8-inch chef’s knife is probably the most useful cooking tool you’ll ever own—but only if you keep it sharp. A sharp knife makes slicing and dicing faster and easier. Dull knives, on the other hand, require more effort to use, which also makes it easier to slip and cut yourself.
  • 4You don’t need to spend tons of money on a big knife set. Get an 8-inch chef’s knife for all-purpose work, a paring knife for detail work like coring and peeling, and a serrated knife to cut through things like bread and tomatoes without squishing them. Sharpen your knives at least once a year and hone the straight-edged knives each time you use them.
  • 5If you want to sharpen them yourself, I recommend a Chef’s Choice® knife sharpener, which is reliable and idiot-proof, so won’t ruin your knives. You can also get your knives professionally sharpened at many cookware stores or hardware stores.
  • 6Tender leaves like basil, spinach, and sage are hard to slice because they’re so thin and bruise easily, which causes them to darken unappealingly. The best technique for thinly cutting these types of leaves is called “chiffonade.” Stack 4 leaves, roll them up lengthwise like a jellyroll, and use a sharp knife to cut paper-thin slices across the roll. You can use this technique for any leafy herbs or lettuces that need to be very thinly sliced.

    • Prawn and Tomato Curry

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    Ingredients

    1 medium-sized onion, chopped 14 oz (425 g) tin of tomatoes 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 tbs fresh coriander, chopped 3 tbs frozen peas 1/2 vegetable stock cube 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander a good squeeze of tomato paste from a tube salt 1 tsp Garam Masala 2 tbs curry powder 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 12 oz (375 g) prawns, shelled and cooked (if using frozen, defrost in the fridge all day)
     

     

     1/4 pt (150 ml) single cream 

     

     

    directions

  • 1Put the onion, tomatoes with their juice, garlic, half of the fresh coriander, frozen peas, and crumbled stock cube in a pan. Let them simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • 2Make a paste with the cumin, ground coriander, tomato paste, salt, and a little water. Add the Garam Masala, curry powder, and chilli. Add this mixture to the tomato sauce, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
  • 3Add the prawns, and let them simmer in the sauce for a further 3 minutes – no longer or they will go leathery. Then turn off the heat, stir in the cream, sprinkle with the rest of the fresh coriander, and serve at once with plain boiled rice. To make this a more substantial dish, add a tin of sweetcorn in unsweetened water to the tomato sauce.

    • Hearty Vegetable Stew

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    Directions

    Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad

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    salad

    Strawberry & Mozzarella Salad

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    • 1 heart romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-sized pieces (3 cups lightly packed)
    • 1 8-ounce container of strawberries, hulled and sliced
    • 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, diced (about 3/4 cup)
    • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons

    Directions

    In a small bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar salt and pepper. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. Place the lettuce onto 4 salad plates.

    Toss the strawberries with the remaining dressing and place 1/4 of the berries on top of each mound of lettuce. Top each with cheese and sprinkle with the basil.

    Nutrition Info

    Calories 150; Total Fat 12 g; (Sat Fat 3.5 g, Mono Fat 5 g, Poly Fat 1 g) ; Protein 6 g; Carb 7 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 15 mg; Sodium 320 mg

    Excellent source of: Vitamin A, Vitamin C

    Good source of:Protein, Vitamin K, Calcium, Manganese

    Copyright Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved