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Oh wow! I think summer has finally showed up in Idaho, yeah!
One of my favorite things to do is sit on my deck watching the kids play while I drink an ice cold diet coke and read a book--I know, I'm multitasking, but what mother doesn't?
I've mentioned before that I love diet coke and it's all my mother's fault! Sorry Mom but it's true and not a bad thing, right?
I especially love diet coke on a hot afternoon. Lounging on the deck and drinking, ahhh...life couldn't get much better in my book!
The other thing I love on hot afternoons is not using my oven. If I can get away with not turning it on at all, it's a good day at our house because that means I found some other way to cook dinner or a new recipe that doesn't involve the oven. I am always trying things on the grill or using the crockpot (I stick it in my garage).
This wonderful recipe is one we eat a lot in the summer. It says fresh and cool to me, which is perfect when it's 100 degrees outside. Using the skillet doesn't warm up your house plus I love the tip they give of making your own ground chicken. I used my food processor and it worked like a dream!
Asian Lettuce Wraps (chicken)
2 t. canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken*
3 oz. mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms and this is optional--my kids won't eat mushrooms so we left them out)
1/2 t. kosher salt
4 c. bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onions
4 T. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 T. juice)
1/2 t. sriracha or other hot sauce (this is optional but I recommend adding a small amount because it gives it great flavor without being too hot)
1/3 c. roughly chopped cilantro
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce (we used whatever was in the fridge)
*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.
Dipping Sauce
4 T. soy sauce
4 T. rice vinegar
3 T. water
2 t. honey
1-2 t. finely minced fresh ginger
1. Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top. When hot, add vegetable oil and then garlic and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through (if you have extra liquid, pour some it out so the chicken is cooking but not boiling). Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, zest from the lemon, lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
2. To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.
3. To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce. Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.
Yield: about 5 c. chicken mixture which makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.
Source: Best Bites
