Asian Lettuce Wraps

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
Sauce:
3 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
fresh ground pepper to taste (optional)

Filling:
1 T. extra virgin olive oil (optional or if needed)
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
5 green onions, sliced
1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cups of frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 green apple, cored and finely chopped
1 pkg of Mufan Rice Noodles broken into small pieces (found in Asian section of the grocery store)
1 or 2 heads of Butter lettuce or Iceburg lettuce washed and separated


PREP: 1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce and whisk together
thoroughly in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Finely chop garlic, peel and mince ginger, dice yellow onion, dice
red pepper, and slice green onions and set aside.
3. Cook rice noodles by filling a bowl with boiling hot water, cover
and let stand for 5 minutes, when soft, drain noodles and set aside.
4. Rinse and thaw peas and carrots and set aside.
5. Core and chop green apple and set aside.

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown ground turkey until done, drain well and then use a chopper or masher to finely break turkey into small pieces. Set aside.

2. Take garlic, ginger, red pepper, yellow and green onions and add to the hot greasy skillet to saute. Add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil if pan is not greasy enough. Saute about 30 second to 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the cooked ground turkey back to the skillet and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the thawed peas and carrots and the cooked rice noodles to the skillet and mix well. Remove pan from heat and add diced green apples.

4. Add 2 T. of sauce to mixture and mix well.

Fill lettuce cups and top with additional sauce and Sriracha if desired.

***There are mushrooms in the picture above that I ended up omitting in the final recipe. Next time I plan to add a large can of drained, diced water chestnuts to the final step for a little crunch. Try it!! :)

Asian Summer Salad

Asian Summer Salad

Asian Summer Salad
For Salad:
1 pkg whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
1 1/2 cups of matchstick carrots
2 med or 3 small zucchinis cut julienne style
1 large red bell pepper seeded and diced
1/2 bunch of green onions thinly sliced
1 lb of deli roast chicken or turkey, sliced 1/2 inch thick
(I have mine sliced on a #5 at the deli counter)

Dressing
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 T. rice vinegar
6 T. soy sauce
4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 T. fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
1 T. fresh garlic, minced or pressed (I used about 5 cloves)
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
optional: Coarsely chopped peanuts or cashews (I don't add nuts to my food, for a nutty flavor you can try adding 1-2 T. of sesame oil)

Directions
1. Break dry noodles into thirds or quarters. Cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
2. Use a julienne peeler, peel zucchini and cut into two inch matchstick type strips. Dice red bell pepper and slice onion. Cut turkey into small 1 x 1 inch cubes.
3. Add veggies and chicken to pasta and mix evenly.
4. For dressing combine all ingredients and whisk thoroughly. Pour over noodle mixture and toss well to coat.
5. Chill for 1 hour before serving. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro if desired.

******Adapted from a Pampered Chef Recipe*******