butter leaf lettuce wraps
April 16, 2015 § 49 Comments
If you are considering cutting out carbs for an evening you might want to consider this for dinner. We have been working our way through a new cookbook Clean Eats by Alejandro Junger. This collection of recipes focus on whole organic foods prepared in a simple manner using good fats and healthy cooking techniques. 
Clean eating is about enjoying organic unprocessed foods that taste good and nourish you. And these butter leaf lettuce wraps are a perfect example of eating clean, well combined whole foods. Although this recipe did not call for spicy ingredients I think it would be lovely with red pepper flakes or finely diced jalapeños. 
I n g r e d i e n t s
- 16 Boston or butter lettuce leaves
- 1 pound organic pasture-raised ground chicken
- 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin coconut oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon wheat-free tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (recipe included below)
- 1 – 8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
for the teriyaki sauce
- 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2/3 cup coconut nectar (I omitted this)
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons brown rice miso
- 2 tablespoons water
First, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar, coconut nectar, ginger and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool before stirring in the miso and water. Set aside. Rinse the whole lettuce leaves and pat them dry, being careful not to tear them. Set aside. In a medium skillet, brown the chicken or turkey in 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil, stirring often. Reduce the heat if the meat starts to brown too fast and turn too dark. With it is cooked through, set it aside to cool. In another skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and sauté the onion, garlic, tamari, ginger and vinegar, and add 1/2 cup of the teriyaki sauce. Stir until everything is well mixed and turning tender and slightly browned. Add the water chestnuts, scallions, sesame oil, and browned chicken. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Arrange the lettuce leaves around the outer edges of a large serving platter, and pile the filling mixture in the center of the plate. Serve allowing each person to spoon a portion of the filling into a lettuce leaf and wrap the leaf around the filling like a burrito. Dip your wrap in leftover teriyaki sauce.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
looks delicious
Thank you Jovina. :)
This is brilliant Seana. I am going to try it with tofu.
I think it will be great with tofu! I think I’ll try it too. Thank you for all your great ideas (and recipes) Sonal. :)
Love ya girl ❤️
This is a good recipe that would also be great with tofu/pork/veal/whatever.
I agree! I’m going to make it using tofu next time. And spice it up just a little…
LOVE this Seana, butter lettuce is my favorite and I am always looking to cut carbs. This is fabulous and delicious and I have to make it tonight.
You and me both. It’s difficult to escape carbs isn’t it. Lately I have only been serving one meat and one vegetable for dinner. No carbs. It’s been very easy and I don’t miss it. We just add a little extra fat (good fat) for energy. :)
These wraps are just gorgeous! Will be trying it soon 😊
Thank you :) It’s a very light dinner. Very nice on a warm evening.
The chopsticks are superfluous. I would just roll it up and stuff it in my mouth. It looks delicious.
Ha! You’re right, but I piled too much chicken on top and had to eat some of it before I could even roll it up. :)
Perfectly balanced dish!
I agree. Food combining is such an overlooked part of eating and I think this is a perfectly balanced dish too. Thank you!
So true….balance is so important!
I love a good lettuce wrap. Iceberg lettuce all the way for me though. I love that crisp texture 😁
Crispy crunchy iceberg…I love it too. :)
Summer is coming…. cutting in carbs would be a great idea for everyone, I guess… thanks for this recipe, it’s very original and I bet very tasty!
Yes, I think cutting carbs a little here and there is good for our energy level. It’s nice to not feel so stuffed too! Loved your post today!
Thanks a lot!
I like that bowl in the third photo down! Grief, like I need to oggle other peoples props. Couldn’t help but notice. :) And so good to read that you’re having extra ‘good’ fats (within your response to Suzanne). You know, this is the type of food I never cook at home. Really into vinegars (I’m making dressings for salad) so I must look out for tamari to be able to try something like this (with tofu). Especially as I can find that type of product in the superstore. I just never know which to choose.
Ha! I know, I find myself wanting other people’s bowls and props all the time. Good you can find tofu in the store. Are you able to buy extra firm tofu? I think this recipe would work well with extra firm tofu. We have been making quite a bit of tofu of various sorts lately. I have a tofu scramble in the drafts right now almost ready to post. It takes a bit to give it flavor, wouldn’t you say? And vinegars! don’t get me started. Would love to hear about your dressings for salads.
This sounds wonderful Seana. I have an odd aversion to eating finger food for dinner, I always overeat and still feel unsatisfied. This will be a delicious weekend lunch!
Interesting about your finger food aversion! :) Better stick with having something like this for lunch. It’s always good to remain a little hungry after lunch, right?
PS I’m madly coveting your bowl too!
:)
I certainly need to cut down on my carbs now with summer coming, Seana! I made your cauliflower and chicken sausage dish the last night! I’ll post the results over there! :)
You and me both! It’s remarkable how much lighter I feel when I’m not eating carbs every meal. And I’m less tired too. A carb fueled lunch just makes me want to take a nap!
I love lettuce wraps! The Bibb lettuce is a great idea because it wouldn’t break like iceberg.
Butter or bibb lettuce!
Agree. I’ve used iceberg before and you’re right, it does break up. Then you have to use a fork (or chopsticks) and it defeats the whole purpose of the lettuce. (ha!)
I agree – this is a really great (and very tasty) way to leave carbs out of a meal. I do something similar, but I’m going to try your version next time.
Do you have your version posted? Would love to see it. :)
I don’t actually, but that’s not a bad idea – maybe I should get round it to! I’ll let you know if / when I do!
beautiful! i just love butter lettuce!!!!!
:) thank you…and I hope you are enjoying spring too.
Seana this looks so good. What I love so much about your cooking is your attention to health and simplicity. I’m sure this dish is out of this world. I like the idea of making carbs less of a main. It’s how I eat. So good! Great to see you back at it. I’m going through your archives now to see what I missed while I”ve been in Mexico!
Awww, Amanda. Rather than reply to all your amazing comments I’ll just reply to this one. Thank you so much for coming over and leaving such thoughtful messages. We have made some adjustments to our eating. Thankfully we don’t have issues that required this change, it’s only for balance and mindfulness of the foods we are buying. I’ve slipped in the last few years and it’s interesting how you can really tell with how you feel. And the oysters! Yes! Do try them grilled at one point. The herb butter melts on them and it’s out of this world. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you put out in the coming weeks and it’s been so fun reading about your life in Mexico. Oh, and the lithograph utensils I added months ago! :) Oh man do I need a blog make-over though. One of these days I’ll quit being cheap and upgrade! Love your new look that’s for sure! Thank you for so much for your support! I was so happy when I saw your comments…so encouraging.
Thanks for your lovely response, Seana. Looks like spring change is in the air. I actually think your blog is beautiful. It always had a clean look. Sorry i didn’t notice the utensil sooner. We have similar tastes. I love it. Xo
Such a fresh, healthy meal Seana… and so flavourful with that gorgeous sauce added in to the ground meat. A great way of avoiding the carbs!
That is such a delicious and healthy looking dish. I am really craving for this now.
HEY TWC!
Just saying, I’m hungry now. This is actually one of my favorite dinners.
And, as asked, my new blog is up with its first post. The other blog was just too hard. God, I’m whining. It must be time for a glass. Probably something deeply red, because Boulder is snizzling right now.
Your recipe looks splendid and I have, as a matter of fact, tried to cut carbs by just a bit…but have not cut them out completely. Thank you for the lovely idea.
I love lettuce wraps! Your recipe sounds wonderful with the homemade teriyaki sauce:)
This looks scrumptious! I love butter lettuce…so good!
loving this fresh, healthy meal idea. I need to buy tamari – it ran out yonks ago and I haven;t replaced it.
Thank you, and yes tamari is one of those necessary staples isn’t it! Glad you stopped in.
I love this recipe, especially with the tamari and miso! Great for gluten sensitivities and so much flavor! It would also be tasty with blanched cabbage…😊