Lettuce Wraps

As I mentioned in a previous post, I found a recipe for my favorite PF Changs dish...lettuce wraps. I just love these, and I don't know why. It's not really something I would normally order, but my friend got them one time when we were sharing an appetizer for lunch and I thought they were delicious. My husband, was less than thrilled last night when there was a pile of lettuce on his plate and a little bowl of ground meat. I convinced him to try it, and he liked how spicy meat.

The recipe calls for 10 lettuce leaves, but it depends how much meat you put on your lettuce....my husband liked to have a lot of meat with little lettuce (he doesn't like veggies at all!), and he suggested that next time we use tortillas instead of lettuce....Hmmm Asian inspired burritos-interesting...I spread mine between the leaves evenly (must have perfect symmetry...but that is another story for another blog). Anyway, they are great!

10 lettuce leafs
1 lb ground turkey (or beef or chicken)
1 white onion-chopped (I used onion powder--texture issues)
2 Tbl garlic minced
1 small can water chestnuts, chopped
3 green onion, sliced thin (I left out)
1/4 c hoisin sauce (or 2-1/2 Tbl soy sauce, 1 Tbl Peanut Butter, 1/2 tsp garlic, 1-1/2 Tbl honey, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp hot sauce)
1 Tbl soy sauce
2 Tbl rice vinegar (I didn't have this so I used 1 Tbl vinegar + 1 Tbl red wine vinegar-it was good)
1 Tbl chili paste (I used red pepper flakes)
1 Tbl sesame oil

• Brown meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste. Cook until onion is soft
• Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until green onion starts to wilt.