I’m sure many of you would agree that once you stock your pantry and refrigerator with Asian cooking staples, you’ll want to use them all the time.  I love having sesame oil, fresh ginger, Hoison Sauce, Chili Garlic Oil, and Siracha on hand.  Asian ingredients go so nicely together that it’s easy to just add a little of this and little of that and get creative with the flavors!  This is what happened the other night when I wanted to make healthy lettuce wraps for dinner.  I made lettuce wraps years ago and I remember being annoyed that the recipe was so detailed and took so long to make.  So I came up with this “one-skillet” recipe for turkey or chicken lettuce wraps.  Clean the lettuce, dice the veggies and set out your preferred toppings first and then it all comes together quickly.  Healthy and easy!  Great for a full meal or a filling bright colorful appetizer.  Maybe a good healthy meal after you’ve indulged on Super Bowl Sunday.

Asian Turkey or Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp cooking oil

1 ½ lbs ground turkey or chicken

½ cup onion, diced (about ½ of a medium onion)

½ cup red pepper, diced (about ½ of a red pepper)

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp fish sauce (omit if you don’t have it, or add a bit more soy sauce)

4 Tbsp Hoison Sauce (to keep it “Clean,” use less Hoison or replace with 1-2 Tbsp honey of agave syrup and increase the soy and fresh ginger a bit).

4 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup shredded carrots

Bibb, Romaine or Iceberg Lettuce (12-16 large leaves)

Additional topping options: cilantro, bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, crispy rice noodles, hoison sauce, siracha

Directions:

Wash and dry lettuce leaves.  Set aside.  In large skillet, cook oil and ground turkey or chicken over medium heat until cooked through.  Drain fat in colander.  In same skillet, heat 1 tsp sesame oil over medium high heat.  Add onion, red pepper, water chestnuts and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add fresh ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add cooked turkey or chicken and mix well with the vegetables.  Mix in soy sauce, fish sauce, hoison sauce and green onions.  Cook on low for another 5 minutes or until heated through.  Spoon ground turkey mixture into lettuce cups and top with shredded carrots.   Serve with additional topping options and/or sauces.