Monthly Archives: February 2010
Weekday Lunches: Lettuce Wraps
I’m tired of soup for lunches. So for a change of pace this week, I decided to make some quick lettuce wraps. I made two varieties that I can alternate each day. I’ll take lettuce and filling in separate containers, filling leaves at lunchtime. Add a piece of fruit and lunches are done, making my mornings a bit less hectic.
Black Bean and Brown Rice Lettuce Wrap
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 tsp limejuice
- ¼ cup fresh salsa
- 2 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Mix together all ingredients, except lettuce. Set aside. Cut lettuce leaves crosswise. Fill lettuce leaves with a tablespoon or more of mixture, fold leaves and eat. This mixture can also be heated before filling the leaves.
Creamy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- 2 small chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
- ¼ cup salad dressing or mayonnaise
- 1 small apple, chopped
- ½ cup sweetened cranberries* or ¼ cup cran-raisins
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
Mix together all ingredients, except lettuce. Set aside. Cut lettuce leaves crosswise. Fill lettuce leaves with a tablespoon or more of mixture, fold leaves and eat.
* I still have cranberries in my freezer, so I mixed 1/2 cup with about 1 tbsp of sugar and 2 tbsp of orange juice, boiled until cranberries popped and liquid reduced to half. Strained the cranberries and added to salad.
Fish ‘n’ Chips
Had some cod left over from the other day, so I thawed it for this classic-with a twist. Yup, actual homemade chips.
This is another time my dandy slicer gadget came in handy. Made the slaw with it, too. Deep frying these chips was a challenge in that too long in the hot oil they will get too brown (or burn), not long enough and they aren’t very crisp. I set the thickness for 3mm for these because I wanted some body along with the crispy. I test fried several slices before I was happy enough to go with the rest. With the oil at 350+ it took several batches of 8-10 slices each to use up the 3 smallish yellow potatoes I used. Keep the finished chips in a 200 oven-use a paper lined baking tray.
I Googled around to find a batter and this recipe came up and caught my eye, it worked really well and I can recommend it.
I have fun making tartar sauce, manage to get it a little different every time. Started with mayo, and added some chopped capers, finely diced onion, sweet relish, lemon juice, chopped parsley, and chopped stuffed green olives.
The slaw was pretty straightforward: Cabbage, red bell pepper, onions, and some grated carrots. Dressing was rice wine and apple cider vinegars, a little peanut oil, salt and pepper. Let the slaw and the tartar sauce age for an hour or more in the fridge for best results, of course you can use them right away if time presses.
Enjoy!
