Healthy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have always loved Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps at restaurants but hate how fatty they actually are. (The peanut sauce by the way is LOADED with fat and calories!) Last night, I decided to make my own home-made version. After looking up many different recipes online, I made these to be low carb,  low fat, high in protein, and easy to make. The end result was PURE YUMM! 

These are great as an appetizer or a main dish with boiled corn on the side. 

Here is my step-by-step recipe:

Preparation Time: 45 mins - Yield: 6 large wraps

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE WRAPS:
- 500g Lean Minced Chicken
- 1/2 cup Quinoa
- 2 scallions (green onions)
- 2 carrots 
- 3/4 red pepper 
- 3/4 yellow pepper
- 1/2 packet enoki mushrooms
- 1 large iceberg lettuce
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or fresh ginger paste)
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon water

WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE  SAUCE:
- 1/4 Cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar (you can also use Splenda)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Ginger
- 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil 
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic 

What To Do:

STEP 1: Shred the carrots, thinly slice the yellow and red peppers, & green onions. Trim the bottoms of the enoki mushrooms and rinse them under water. 

STEP 2: Wash the lettuce leaves well and leave them to dry on kitchen paper

STEP 3: Cook the Quinoa. Put 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1.5 cups of water in a pan (ratio of 1:3). Cover it till it boils then reduce the heat to a simmer. Move it around with a spatula every few minutes. It will be thoroughly cooked in 10-15 minutes (when all the water is gone). Let it cool. 

STEP 4: Heat 2 Tablespoons of canola oil in a large pan. Pour in the minced meat and break it up as it cooks. Remove from the heat when all the chicken is cooked (approx. 5 mins) and put it in a coriander to drain the fat. Return to the pan. When the chicken is cool enough, further break the chicken into minced pieces. 

STEP 5: Add the red peppers, yellow peppers, shredded carrots, enoki mushrooms, & green onions to the chicken. Pour in the ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, water and hoisin sauce and cook for a few minutes. Your mix is ready when the peppers are soft. (This smells DIVINE btw!) When the mix is well cooked, cover with a lid to keep warm.

STEP 6: Make the sauce. Mix all the ingredients mentioned above. It is quite strong so only use a little for each wrap.

STEP 7: Assemble the wraps. Fill each lettuce leaf with 1  tablespoon of Quinoa, 2.5 tablespoons of the chicken mix and 1 Tablespoon of the sauce.  

*Tip: My lettuce leaves were too big and collapsed with the weight of the mix. If they collapse, use a toothpick to keep them contained. Buy smaller iceberg lettuce or even better, lettuce cups if you find them at the supermarket. 

*Optional: Add shredded almonds or peanuts to each wrap for additional crunch. 

Bon Appetit! These chicken lettuce wraps are truly DELICIOUS!