Mu Shu Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon dry sherry
• 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce (found in Asian section of grocery store)
• 2 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger (I used the pre-ground ginger found in produce section)
• 1 (14-ounce) package coleslaw (about 4 cups) 
• 4 c shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast***
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided
• 24 Bibb lettuce leaves (I used romaine)

1/2 cup chopped cashews 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients.
2. In a large saucepan, combine liquid with rotisserie chicken until heated through (add in 1/4 c of green onions)
3. In lettuce leaves, layer coleslaw mix and chicken.
4. Top with remaining green onions and chopped cashews.

It's not often that I give a recipe 5 stars, but this one is deserving.  It has great flavor, is healthy, fresh, and FAST!  You can have a meal ready to serve company in less than 10 minutes.  Are you kidding me?  My two year old devoured it, my 10 year old gave it 2 thumbs up, and my husband ate 2 platefuls. This recipe is a keeper!!!  ***Just a side note... if you use regular baked chicken breast instead of rotisserie chicken you may want to make more sauce as it generally absorbs more than the rotisserie chicken does. (I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light.  Photo from Cooking Light)

Honey-Lime Quinoa Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled if desired and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (1 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5) oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn
• 3 Tbsp honey
• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Corn or flour tortillas
• Diced avocados 
• Feta cheese

Directions

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil then place sweet potatoes on foil. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp olive oil and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle evenly with cumin, paprika, coriander, cayenne pepper and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste then toss to evenly coat. Bake in preheated oven 15 - 20 minutes until tender, removing from oven and tossing once halfway through baking.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot add onion and saute until caramelized (golden brown on edges and tender), about 5 - 6 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sautéing. Reduce heat to medium-low, add in drained black beans, corn, honey and lime juice. Heat until warmed through. Toss in roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, and cilantro. Serve over warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Spicy Thai Turkey Basil Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 4 t olive oil, divided
• 1/2 c minced shallots (you could use onions as well)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 4 t minced fresh garlic
• 1 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 2 t chili garlic paste (add more or less to taste)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 t fresh ground pepper
• 1 c fresh basil leaves (thai basil is the best!)
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 4 lime wedges
• Large lettuce leaves
• Optional: cooked rice

Directions:

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Remove shallot mixture from pan.
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add turkey; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well. Return chicken to pan over medium heat. Add chile paste; cook 1 minute. Add shallot mixture to pan. Stir in fish sauce and next 3 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove pan from heat; stir in basil and juice. Spoon turkey mixture into lettuce leaves.  You can also add rice to the lettuce leaves or leave out lettuce and serve over rice.  Also, good served in a tortilla as a wrap. Serve with lime wedges.

I quadrupled this recipe to serve to 3 families for dinner club.  My family, including kids, all loved this dish.  We will repeat for sure! The chile garlic paste and fish sauce are located in the asian section of the grocery store.  Fresh basil is a must and I highly recommend the Thai basil.  The 2 t of chili garlic paste makes this minimally spicy - kid friendly.  If it were just my husband and I eating it, we would definitely add more.  This recipe is inspired and adapted from Cooking Light, enjoy!

Baked Chicken Chimichangas/Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps

I LOVE chimichangas, but I don't love that they're fried so I was really excited when I found a recipe for baked chimichangas. However, most of the ingredients were pretty basic. Then I found a recipe for Santa Fe Chicken Salad wraps, and thought they sounded delicious. So, I altered the chicken salad a bit and made baked chimichangas out of them! Below are the directions for both the chimichangas and the wraps.

Ingredients: 

• 2/3 cup nonfat, plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 - 2 tablespoon minced cilantro
• 2 – 3 green onions, sliced thin
• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 2/3 cup black beans
• 1/3 cup corn kernels
• Tortillas
• Olive Oil
• Diced tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole for topping (chimichangas only)
• 
  
• If you are making wraps, you will also need:
• 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• Salad Greens or Baby Spinach and avocado slices for garnish
• 
  
• Directions for chimichangas:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into tortillas, fold them, and place in a greased pan. Brush chimichangas with olive oil. With oven rack on second slot from the top, bake the chimichangas for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Top with diced tomatoes, sour cream, and guacomole.
• 
  
• Directions for wraps:
• Combine all ingredients and place in tortilla. Top with mixed greens or spinach and sliced avocado.
• 
  
• I can't vouch for the wraps since I haven't actually made them, but judging from the chimichangas (which were delicious) I will definitely give them a whirl this summer!

Recipe adapted from http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/309172-Santa_Fe_Chicken_Salad_Wraps 

Fresh Rolls

Ingredients:

• Rice paper (found in the dry section for oriental foods) - 2 per roll
• Rice sticks/noodles (I used the thinnest available)
• Lettuce
• Carrots (julienned or shredded)
• Veggies of your choice (cucumber, sprouts, peppers, etc.)
• Thai basil (cilantro would be good too)
• Shrimp or thin slices of pork or chicken (I bought pre-cooked, deveined, no tails shrimp)

      Peanut Sauce:

• 1/2 c hoisin sauce (oriental section of grocery store)
• 1/2 c chunky peanut butter
• 1 T ground ginger (you can buy this pre-ground which is easy!)
• 1 t garlic chili paste (oriental section of grocery store)
• 1/3 c hot water

Directions:

I am not even going to attempt to type the fresh roll sequence out.  But I will say that it's easy... just a little time intensive.  Better to just watch this quick youtube video and see it yourself.  Start paying attention at about 2 minutes in to see how to assemble and handle the rice paper.  I cooked the rice sticks (thin noodles), drained them and added a bit to the inside of my fresh rolls along with the veggies and shrimp.

One tip I will give you is that you need to wrap each roll twice (the video shows this) and also be sure when serving them, NOT to stack them.  Single layer only.  The rice paper is sticky and can tear when you are trying to separate them.

For the peanut sauce, just mix all ingredients together with a whisk.  I also served them with store bought sweet chili sauce too.

Very fresh and delicious!

Spiced Chicken, Green Apple, Goat Cheese Avocado Wrap

 source

Ingredients:

2 Spinach or whole wheat wraps

1 Chicken breast, skinless/boneless  (butterfly chicken breast if you like)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon smoked paprika (preferred) regular will do

¼ teaspoon cumin powder

4 ounces Goat Cheese, room temperature

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons honey

1 Fuji apple (skinned and core removed, cut into slices
)½ Avocado (skin and pit removed, cut into slices)

½ Lemon cut in half and juiced (seeds removed)

Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Fresh spinach or romaine

Directions:

Combine cinnamon, paprika, cumin powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place chicken breast on a flat surface, and coat one side of breast with spice mixture.

Heat your bar be que to grill.  Grill chicken breast for 5-7 minutes on one side. Turn chicken over and cook for another 5-7 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.  Transfer the chicken breast on a plate to cool and slice into strips.

In a bowl, mix together goat cheese, cream cheese and honey. In a separate bowl add apples, avocado and a couple squirts of lemon juice.

Place wraps on a flat surface. Add an even amount of the cheese mixture in a straight line to the front of the wrap. Add apple and avocado slices, then chicken strips.  Take one of the wraps sides and fold it in to the middle. Roll wrap starting with the side that has the chicken mixture, top with fresh greens. Roll as tightly as you can without breaking the wrap. Serve.

Ginger Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

Ingredients

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
* 1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
* 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 2 tablespoons water
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
* 8 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
* 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

2. Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

*I also add rice to the wraps. It makes them a bit more filling.

Chicken Shawarma (Chicken Gyro)

Ingredients:
 
Chicken:

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 large (or 4-5 small) skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons tahini *I found this in the Kosher section of the supermarket
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Remaining ingredients:

• 6 (6-inch) pitas
• 3 cups spinach
• 18 (1/4-inch-thick) tomato slices (large tomatoes, more if using smaller tomatoes)
• 1 cucumber quartered and sliced thin 
• 1/4 red onion sliced thin 

Directions:

1. Combine chicken marinade ingredients and chicken breasts and let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.  Then transfer chicken breasts and marinade to deep skillet to cook through.
2. Remove breasts from marinade and slice thinly.
3. In another bowl, combine sauce ingredients and mix well with a whisk.
4. Serving options:

• Grill or broil pitas and top with veggies, chicken, and dollop of sauce (as shown in picture).
• Open pita and stuff with veggies, chicken, and dollop of sauce
• Make a mixed "chopped salad" with veggies, chicken, and sauce.  Broil pitas and either tear chunks off to scoop salad with or cut up pita into "chips" and broil to eat as a side along with salad.

Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish of garlicky meat or poultry served on pitas. This chicken version is flavored with a savory yogurt sauce, really similar to the gyro.  This dish is very light and healthy.  After making it, I wasn't feeling really confident that my family would go for it.  But to my pleasant surprise, hubby had seconds and Emma's plate was clean (she didn't try the sauce, and no onions for her).  We had some difficulty eating it the "tostada" way which is in the picture I took.  We found it much easier to go the chopped salad route, mixing all the veggies, chicken, and sauce together, and then using the pita shell like a scoop.  This also mixed the sauce in really nicely.  I made some modifications to this recipe that I originally found in Cooking Light.  If you're into light and healthy or a fan of the flavors of the middle east, I think you'll really enjoy this recipe.

Ginger-Peanut Chicken Salad Wraps

 

 Ingredients:

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 4  (6-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breasts
• 1  cup  chopped peeled cucumber
• 3/4  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, crushed & minced
• 1/4  cup chunky peanut butter
• 2  tablespoons  water
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 8  (8-inch) low-fat whole wheat tortillas
• 2  cups  chopped cabbage

Preparation:

     Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 10-12 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, and scallions in a large bowl; mix together and set aside.
     Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic) in your Kitchenaide mixer, and mix until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; again mix until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/3 cup shredded cabbage, and roll up.

Notes:  The original recipe is from Cooking Light magazine.  Only a few adaptations were made and just because I know what my people like :).  As a side dish, I served Jasmine rice with lime juice and optional toppings of toasted coconut and fresh cilantro.  We also had a fresh pineapple at home - so we sliced it up and added it in the wrap as well...delicious!