Thai Lettuce Wraps

Look at the sodium label-- 100%  

I was going to use a copy cat recipe from P.F. Chang's, but when I looked at the nutritional information I was astonished. That recipe had 2418mg of Sodium (which is MORE than your daily requirements of sodium in 1 meal! NOT OKAY) People tend to over look the sodium labels on nutritional panels, but it is very important to stay under 2 grams or 2000mg of sodium a day. Here is a great link about reducing the amount of hidden sodium you eat during the day.

BUT, I still wanted to make lettuce wraps because I had almost an entire head of lettuce un-used. Luckily, I found a lower sodium & vegan friendly recipe online! 

Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 5 minutes 
Total Time: 25 minutes 
Yield: SERVES 4(starter)/2-3(main)

Ingredients:

•               1 head fresh iceberg lettuce OR prepackaged lettuce for wraps

•               3 cloves garlic, minced

•               1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, grated

•               1 red chili, minced, OR 1/4 to 1/3 tsp. chili flakes

•               2 shallots, sliced finely

•               1/2 cup firm tofu, cut into "matchsticks"; OR 1/2 cup cooked chicken or pork, shredded, OR 1/2 cup cooked baby shrimp

•               1 carrot, grated or cut into thin strips

•               5-6 mushrooms, thinly sliced

•               1 egg (omit if vegan)

•               1/2 cup shredded cabbage (any type will work)

•               3 spring onions, sliced (aka scallions/green onions)

•               approx. 2 cups bean sprouts

•               2 Tbsp. lime juice

•              4 Tbsp. soy sauce (use low sodium)

•               1 Tbsp. oyster sauce; (Vegetarians: use vegetarian oyster sauce)

•               1/4 tsp. sugar

•               TOPPINGS:

•               1/3 cup fresh basil OR mint, chopped if leaves are large

•               1/3 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

•               fresh bean sprouts

•               OTHER: 2 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying

Preparation:

1.             Drizzle oil into a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, galangal (or ginger), chili, and shallots. Stir-fry one minute, or until fragrant. **Stir-frying tip (from the pros): add a little water or white wine if the wok/pan gets too dry instead of more oil.

2.             Add tofu (OR shrimp/chicken/pork), carrot, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, and spring onions. As you stir-fry, add the lime juice, soy sauce, oyster sauce (or vegetarian substitutes) and sprinkle over the sugar. Stir-fry about 1 minute.

3.             Push ingredients to the side of the wok or pan, and crack in the egg. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.

4.             Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry briefly to mix (avoid over-looking or it will go limp). Remove from heat and do a taste test for salt, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough.

5.             Cut off the stem part of the iceburg lettuce so it's easier to separate the leaves. Now place the lettuce, sir-fried filling, and the toppings on your table in separate bowls/plates, allowing family or guests to make their own wraps.

To assemble, take a whole lettuce leaf and place 1-2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center. Top with a sprinkling of fresh basil and peanuts plus fresh bean sprouts if desired. Then wrap up and eat! (For those who like it extra spicy, fresh-cut chili can be added as another topping.) ENJOY!

They look & taste so delicious! :)