I was thinking today as I was taking pictures with my phone of these wraps that I really should upgrade to a camera rather than rely solely on a camera phone. As I’ve mentioned before, cameras overwhelm me. I know they take better pictures, especially for a food blog, but I’ll be honest, me and my iPhone work pretty well together considering. Though, while we do have our moments and I come very close to throwing it across the room, I don’t have another camera so you’d all be stuck with just a bunch of words, I’d be phoneless and well that wouldn’t lead to good things.
With that being said, my phone and I were on a roll taking pictures of this little dish. I mean, just look at those colors! (gasp) When I got home after picking up some veggies at a local farm stand I knew these were definitely going into some sort of recipe just so I’d be able to photograph it…well and eat it too of course. So, with some bright green lettuce I knew right away I wanted to make lettuce wraps. What better dish to enjoy during warm summer days than lots of yummy ingredients wrapped up in a piece of crisp lettuce? These wraps have a little a kick so if you like a little spicy then you’ll love this. If you (or the little mouths in your family) prefer less heat just add less green chilies. This dish makes a great meal any night of the week since it’s on the table in just 30 minutes!
So viola, a colorful and healthy meal with lots of pretty (updated) pictures thanks to my trusty ol’ phone. I’ll upgrade one day…maybe…
Spicy Thai Lettuce Wraps
Author: The Hungry Happy Mama
Gluten-free/Paleo/Nut-free/Soy-free*
Yields: about 4 servings (2 wraps per person)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large skin on, washed and diced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 lb grass-fed ground beef (or plant-based ground for vegan option*)
- 1 c baby Bella mushrooms, chopped small
Sauce
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c honey
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 c green chilies, roughly chopped
- 2 tsp low-sugar ketchup
- 1 tsp tapioca starch
Wraps
- 1 head of Boston or Butter lettuce
- green onion to top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or an oven-safe liner.
- Toss the sweet potato with cinnamon and one tablespoon of the oil and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook to brown. Once no longer pink add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Note: If using plant-based ground add your mushrooms first then once tender add the ground and cook as directed on package.
- To make the sauce, combine the water, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic powder, chilies, ketchup and tapioca startch in a small bowl and whisk. Pour over beef mixture and cover. Let simmer for 5-8 minutes on low then remove from heat.
- Prepare wraps by gently removing the larger outer leaves from the head. Rinse and lay out to dry on a towel.
- When ready to serve, using the lettuce as the base, spoon beef mixture into a leaf then top with sweet potatoes, and green onion.
Storing: leftovers will keep best with components stored separately up to 3 days. I also find it helpful to store washed and ready to eat lettuce in a storage bag loosely wrapped with a paper towel in the fridge. This keeps the moisture away and the lettuce stays crisper longer.
