Thai Lettuce Wraps

Posted on February 17, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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 This is a perfect “make Sunday and serve Monday and Tuesday” meal!  The flavors deepen as the turkey marinates so a couple of days in the fridge actually boosts the flavor.  The textures of the meat, vegetables, and nuts make these wraps satisfying to the palette.  And they are fun to eat!  I served them with a side of stir-fried vegetables.  (They would also work well as a starter course.)

Thai Lettuce Wraps:

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce + 1 tablespoon
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 6 scallions, finely chopped
  • 4 limes, juiced
  • 1.5 tablespoons Sriacha chili sauce (available in Asian markets or Asian ingredient aisle in grocery store)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
  • 1 red pepper, finely diced
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 head Boston lettuce, leaves carefully removed, washed and spun dry in a salad spinner
  • 1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts or almonds, coarsely chopped

Brown turkey.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place in a covered glass bowl and refrigerate until cool.

In another bowl, combine all ingredients (except pepper, cucumber, lettuce, and nuts).  Add to turkey and mix.  Cover and allow to marinate overnight, or at least 3-4 hours for best taste. 

Remove from fridge and allow filling to come to room temperature.  Stir turkey mixture and add one tablespoon of light soy sauce to moisten it up.  Fill each piece of lettuce with filling.  Top with dice bell pepper, cucumber, and chopped nuts. Roll up and enjoy!

Adapted from Biggest Loser Ed’s Thai Turkey Wrap Recipe.

Filed under: Appetizer, carrot, ground meat, Main Dish, turkey, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Carrot Cake Cookies

Posted on December 14, 2008 by kitchenbelle

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When I saw these cookies at Dinner and Dessert  I knew I wanted to make them.  I love carrot cake and I had never considered a carrot cake cookie–what a great idea!  These cookies are exactly what you would expect–each one packs delicious carrot cake goodness into two bites of a cookie.  (The only thing missing is a big dollop of cream cheese frosting!)

Carrot Cake Cookies:

  • 2  1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1  1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1.5 loosely packed shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 1  1/3 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl combine first 10 ingredients with 3/4 cup water.  Beat on low speed until well blended.  Stir in carrots, currants, and coconut.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons (or tablespoons, depending on how big you want your cookies) onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Leave about one inch between each.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned but still soft in the center.  Cool on wire racks.

Adapted from dinneranddessert.wordpress.com.

Filed under: carrot, cookies, Dessert | Leave a comment »

Ground Turkey Risotto

Posted on July 30, 2008 by kitchenbelle

I came upon this recipe in a Pillsbury cookbook I found at the grocery store and I am glad I did!  It was delicious!  The beef broth provided a very rich taste and the parmesan cheese offered a very nice creamy texture as well as a kick of fresh flavor.  The chives added some nice color and freshness as well.  This was a satisfying and delicious weeknight dinner and I will certainly make it again.

Ground Turkey Risotto:

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 lb. ground turkey (this recipe called for ground beef but I used turkey instead to keep the dish lean)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cups freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped

In a 12 inch skillet (do not use non-stick) over med/low heat saute onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender.  Add ground meat and pepper.  Cookmeat  until it is no longer raw.  Add rice and cook stirring rapidly for two minutes.  Stir in beef broth and bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 10-20 minutes.  (The amount of simmer time depends on the type of rice you chose.  I used a short grain dense brown rice requiring much more cooking time than a white rice would have.)  Add chopped carrot and cook uncovered for an additional 5-7 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.  Cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve. 

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks: Hamburger and Chicken shown here.

Filed under: carrot, chives, ground meat, Main Dish, risotto | 1 Comment »

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