A completely fat free recipe is quite the challenge; unless you are opting to each a couple veggies and some water. For me, as much as I love vegetables, that combination does not sound appealing. So, although I do seek fat free options and recipes, low fat recipes seem to be far easier to locate.
Recently a friend allowed me to flip through one of her cookbooks. I came across a lettuce wrap recipe that sounded very appetizing and not too harsh on the waistline. Yet, there were quite a few things about the recipe that needed tweeking for my taste. So, I bought the ingredients and conquered a new healthy recipe. Fortunately, I wear and advocate for the Bodybugg; and this system allows me to enter my food into a computerized system, tracking my caloric, fat, sodium, calcium, etc. intake.
With that being said, I am aware that this recipe is less than 300 calories with very minimal fat – reality is, you can alter the recipe as you see fit as well…which will likely change up the nutritional facts a bit. If you have ever eaten at PF Chang’s and tapped into their lettuce wraps, you know the joy that can come from these little asian styled heavenly wraps. Now, you can enjoy them in the comfort of your home.
Here’s the ingredients you will need: ground turkey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cabbage, Chinese five spice powder, and lettuce. These are the primary ingredients – the remaining ingredients are at your discretion. Mainly this is your vegetable selection. The original called for water chestnuts and mushrooms, neither of which make their way into my kitchen. So, I chose carrots, celery and onion.
First and foremost, cook up the ground turkey. I personally opt for Jennie O turkey (extra lean) as it is low in fat and in calories. While cooking, dice (finely) your vegetables that you will plan to use. As for the cabbage, you can tap into a head of cabbage or opt for the “coleslaw” pre-made version. Once diced, sauté the vegetables and the cabbage until they are cooked to your liking. Once cooked, combine the turkey and the vegetables into the same pan/wok. Stir in the hoisin sauce (about 2-3 tbsps), lite soy sauce (1 tbsp), and the five spice powder to taste.
Once mixed, you will prepare your lettuce. I have made these twice – once with iceberg lettuce and once with butter lettuce. Looking back, butter lettuce is a much better choice; it is more durable. Take your pieces of lettuce, scoop in the mix, and enjoy. You can always add dipping sauces on the side if you would like additional flavor and a few extra calories.
Like I said, this is a great healthy option. Not fat free, but far better than many of the other meals we could be choosing. Change this recipe up; add cashews or snow peas…whatever strikes your taste buds.