Lettuce Wraps

I have been following Chrissy Tiegen on Instagram for some time now.  In case you are unfamiliar, she is the supermodel wife of John Legend.  Chrissy is known for her quick wit and obsession with food.  Although unexpected, I follow this supermodel for her culinary insight.  She recently published a cookbook entitled Cravings, which highlights her most favorite recipes, the things she craves on a regular basis.  Cravings is beautiful; each page is filled with a mouth-watering recipe and gorgeous photograph to entice the reader further. In the last two weeks, I have made five of her dishes, these lettuce wraps among them.  I find that Thai/Asian food is great when trying to eat healthy; you eliminate the carbs, but not the flavor.  

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 lb of ground chicken 

1/2 lb of white mushrooms

1/2 cup of diced canned of water chestnuts

1 red bell peppers

1 Tbsp. of minced garlic

1 Tbsp. of minced fresh ginger

8 scallions thinly slice

vegetable oil

2 heads of butter lettuce, separated

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce

3 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

3 Tbsp. light soy sauce

2 Tbsp. Sriracha

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 1/2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Making it happen:

Make the sauce: In a bowl, combine chili sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, Sriracha, vegetable oil, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.  In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp. of the sauce into the ground chicken.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil and begin to brown the chicken.  When the chicken has browned, remove the chicken and set aside.  Over medium-high heat, add another tbsp. of oil and scallion whites, garlic, and ginger.  Allow to cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook for 3/4 minutes or until they release their juices. Return chicken to pan, adding sauce, bell pepper, and water chestnuts. Cook for about 5 minutes, until flavors have combined. Stir in remaining scallions.  Serve with lettuce cups.