Low carbs...WHAT??!

It's Tuesday, recipe day!!! Yea! This will be the hard part only doing the food thing once a week. We may need to rethink this plan...hmmmmm

You all know I love me some carbs.  But I hear all about these lettuce wraps all the time I thought. Hmmmm....might be interesting....

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Pineapple Rice

(please bear with me - I took a bunch of photos this time!, I'm practicing)

 

Ingredients:
1lb ground chicken breast
1/2 medium onion, minced
salt & pepper, a dash of each
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili sauce (or more if you like it hotter)
dash of fresh pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Directions:

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, and cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add in minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

 Can you hear the sizzle?

 

Add ins

 

 I tried to get all Pioneer Woman and you and take one handed pics of myself adding the pepper.  Yup not awesome like her!  Wish I had my own personal photographer.  I would pay them in food :)

 

2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar (I was out, had to use apple cider vinegar), chili sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine

 

3 Add green onion and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

 

4. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts (As you can see I added them right to the skillet. Tasted great.  But the leftovers, the peanuts were kind of....wet...they didn't have crunch anymore. My advice save peanuts for garnish and don't add to whole pot!)

 

 Yeah I couldn't go completely low carb.  I made rice!!! Haha! I was a. trying to make sure my kids would eat it, b. I love carbs too, and c. sometimes I would have some sort of tortilla AND rice so really it is better! Right? Say yes.  I was inspired by my Mother-in-law on this one.  We were all out to eat at a Thai restaurant the other day and she ordered Pineapple Fried Rice but had it in her head that it was Pineapple Coconut Fried Rice so when it came coconut-less she was sort of disappointed.  I thought Pineapple Coconut Rice sounds really awesome. So I made Minute rice (I seriously only had minutes!) I added a splash of pineapple juice, chopped up pineapple, a handful (or two) of coconut and a dash of garlic salt.  It was really yummy and fluffy!

 

Then it was time to stuff! I told my girls it was like lettuce tacos. They tried briefly to eat it this way.  Then it all fell apart and they ate it with a fork.  It was yummy.  Actually for leftovers I got lazy and just tore up some lettuce and threw it on top like a salad.  Yummy!

 

 

Hope you enjoy! I fail at carb reduction don't I? Do we have to wait another week for another recipe? Boo. We'll see maybe I can incorporate it on another day?  Hmmmm.......