Ok I have been absent for a little while, I have been cooking and taking pictures but just got into politics and maybe a little lazy. Ok mostly a little lazy. I am still on the fend for yourself diet so a lot of what I make is spur of the moment, open the Frig and see what’s in there. We did buy a new crock pot, do they still call them that? I did a quick beef stew in a red wine gravy which came out great but that’s another post to come.

Ingredients:

Remember I eyeball most times 

• 1 Tbsp. Peanut Oil.
• About 1 lbs. of pork cutlet pounded then diced 1/8 to ¼” or smaller. If you partially freeze the cutlet it is so much easier to dice or mince.
• 1 small onion 1 diced about 1/3 cup.
• 1/2 red bell pepper minced
• pinch or two of red hot pepper flakes cause spice is nice
• 1/3 cup finely pan toasted pine nuts.
• 1 ½ to 2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce.
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine, Iceburg or Boston Bib Lettuce I suggest the Bib lettuce it wraps better. However, this was a spur of the moment meal. YA use what you’ve got.
• 1 carrot diced small. I have a julienne which makes dicing so much easier

How:

In large skillet or WOK, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the pork and stir fry over high heat until just cooked through about 3-5 minutes depending on the dice size. Use slotted spoon to remove the pork and put aside.

Add the onion, carrot and red bell pepper to the skillet cook over medium or slightly lower heat until soften about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts, and Hoisin sauce. Return the pork to pan stirring to coat evenly about 1 minute.

Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves for wrapping.

Hint, you may have to remove pan from heat if it is too hot so it does not thicken up too much. You can always add a touch of chicken broth or water in needed but you want it semi thick not watery.

I served with Lyn’s homemade ginger pickled cucumbers on a bed of wide sliced carrots, now if she would only tell me how I could post.

Enjoy

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Lettuce wraps are turning up in restaurants across the country. First popular in Asian cuisines, lettuce wraps are now popping up on the menus of other styles of restaurants. In restaurants, they are most often offered as an appetizer, but I like them as my main course. Kids love them as they get to eat with their hands and it is ok. You don’t have to visit a restaurant to enjoy lettuce wraps. They’re quick and easy to prepare at home. This is also a great way to lower your consumption of carbohydrates by replacing the bread on a sandwich

Lettuce wraps are very easy to create with an almost endless array of ingredient variations. You can also use the same ingredients that you use in burritos, tortillas, pita bread, or spring rolls. Jut let your imagination and taste buds be your guide. They key to great wraps is the contrast of warm, flavorful fillings with the cool crunch of lettuce.

For a party, offer a variety of lettuces and a variety of fillings such as cold chicken salad, grilled beef teriyaki strips, Italian sausage, onions, shredded cheese, and water chestnuts.

Iceberg is the most common lettuce used, but the wide, strong leaves of romaine, red leaf, or slightly bitter escarole offer surprising changes of pace.

                                                                 

For best results, pick the largest, most pliable lettuce leaves. types to use are iceberg, red lettuce, radicchio and/or large spinach leaves. Dry lettuce well before using in the wraps.

To keep iceberg lettuce crisp, cut the core out. Fill the core with cold tap water, then drain for 15 minutes. It will stay crisp for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Lettuce wraps info from http://whatscookingamerica.net/Sandwich/LettuceWraps.htm