Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

*From Cooking Light

Sorry, no picture, but yummy nonetheless! 

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup vertically sliced red onion

1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup diced tomato

1 Tb chopped fresh oregano

1 Tb chopped fresh flat-leaft parsley

10 pitted green olives, chopped

1/2 cup (about 3 oz) diced fresh mozzarella cheese

1 Tb fresh lemon juice

8 Bibb lettuce leaves

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken, pepper, and salt to pan; cook for 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Stir in onion and next 5 ingredients (though olives); cook for 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in cheese and juice. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture into each lettuce leaf.

My take: Another hit at our house. It's simple and fairly quick (just lots of chopping), and healthy with lots of veggies. You can substitute ground turkey for the chicken, and we've found that the 93/7 works great - if you go for the 96/4 it ends up being a bit dry. I also just use dried oregano and parsley spices since it's easier - the substitution is usually about 1/3 Tb dried ingredients for 1 Tb fresh. And I've had a hard time finding Bibb leaves, so we usually use Romaine since it's easy to find. But I really like Butter lettuce if it's available. 

Shrimp Pad Thai

Shrimp Pad Thai

*From Cooking Light

8 ounces uncooked flat rice noodles (pad Thai noodles)

2 Tb dark brown sugar

2 Tb lower-sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 Tb fish sauce

1 1/2 Tb fresh lime juice

1 Tb Sriracha or chili garlic sauce

3 Tb canola oil

1 cup (2-inch) green onion pieces

8 ounces peeled and deveined large shrimp

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

3 Tb thinly sliced fresh basil

1. Cook rice according to package directions; drain.

2. While water comes to a boil, combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl.

3. Heat large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion pieces, shrimp, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until shrimp is almost done. Add cooked noodles; toss to combine. Stir in sauce; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly to combine. Arrange about 1 cup noodle mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon peanuts, and 2 teaspoons basil. Yield: 4 servings.

My take: I really like this, even better than some Pad Thai I've gotten at restaurants. I use frozen shrimp, which makes it a little easier in my opinion. Overall it's a fairly quick and easy recipe, and I'm a fan. We've had this multiple times.