Midweek Snack // Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This picture was taken nearly two years ago, on my wedding day. It was a special day for obvious reasons, but also special for this particular food-related post because an amazing friend of mine and bridesmaid catered a meal for the entire bridal party, staff, and family who came to the house that day. It was the best gift, to have freshly prepared, highly nutritious, low sodium foods that would make us all feel great going into the evenings events.

You see my friend Stacie, featured there in the middle of the picture, has the best love language. Food. If she loves you, she will feed you. And she doesn't do it averagely, she does it super gourmet. It's the best love language I think because it is all four wrapped into one. It's an act of service - the time and effort put into planning, prepping, and cooking. It's a gift in itself because... food. It's a physical touch - that I was not hungry all day and felt very satisfied without being overly stuffed. And it's words of affirmation as she insisted over and over again that it was her pleasure to do something like this for such treasured friends as we are.

I loved ALL of the food that she prepared that day. But it was the first time I had ever had Mango chutney turkey in lettuce wraps. I think I ate about half the pan all by myself. And G and I have made this dish at least a dozen times or more since that day, altering it ever so slightly when we needed to make it more portable to work or if we were absent one ingredient but were still obsessed with the thought. It is amazing and we hope you love it as much as we do!

Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 large diced white onion

2 cloves minced garlic

1 small jar of mango chutney (we like Stonewall Kitchen and Trader Joe's brands the best)

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Ground Corriander

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 tsp Cumin

Lettuce leaves for wraps (butter/bibb lettuce is our fave for this)

Sour cream or greek yogurt if you can tolerate dairy - optional, for topping

Optional adds for extra bulk & fiber content -- we added this in so that we could pack this for the office without the added hassle of bringing individual lettuce leaves for wraps:

2 cups diced butternut squash

2 cups riced cauliflower (I used Trader Joe's frozen pre-riced)

Directions:

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to large saute pan over medium-high heat (I wok'd it)

Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds to allow fragrance to bloom

-> If you're adding butternut squash, now is a good time to throw it in so that it cooks for at least 10 minutes before onions go-- it takes longer to soften.

Add onion and all spices, stirring regularly until onions are starting to clear, about 5 minutes

-> If you're adding cauliflower rice, throw it in right at the end of the onion saute until it softens slightly

Set onion/garlic mixture aside

Add ground turkey, season generously with sea salt, break apart with a spatula as it browns

When mostly browned, add in mango chutney and stir until combined well

Add back in vegetable mixture and heat through

Serve inside washed lettuce cups, or in 1.5-2 cup servings on its own. Garnish with sour cream or Greek yogurt if desired.

Note: 1 lb of Turkey will make 3-4 servings. I nearly tripled this recipe for our weekly lunches, feeding 2 people for 4-5 days. Leftovers are my jam.

#Nourish #Entrees #Meals