Dieting doesn’t mean food has to taste bad. A little elbow grease and some creativity can go a long ways! These are an awesomely tasty meal for those of you watching your carbohydrates, and easy to prepare too!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- A lean protein source – 4-6oz (depending on your caloric needs) chicken breast, lean steak (Flank, Round, Sirloin) cut into 1″ strips, or shrimp (tail removed)
- Stir-fry Vegetables – I like to use red, green, and orange peppers, as well as mushrooms, onion, and occasionally carrots (add or subtract for your own flavor)
- Lettuce – 3-4 LARGE full leafs of romaine, greenleaf, or butter lettuce (the key is big leaves here)
- Sauce – low-sodium soy sauce, chili paste, corn starch, 1 clove garlic (fresh, can be whole or pre-minced), 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh, can be whole or pre-minced) and 3/4 tablespoon splenda
- Finely sliced almonds
- Extra virgin olive oil - 1-2 tablespoons
DIRECTIONS
- Finely chop 1 clove garlic and ginger (unless it’s pre-minced), cut up all your veggies into 0.5″ strips,
- Slice your lean protein into 3/4″-1″ strips
- Preheat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat and add 1-2 tbsp olive oil (depending on your fat/calorie needs).
- Brown the meat in the pan with the diced garlic and ginger.
- Add the veggies when the meat is browned on all sides (the meat doesn’t have to be totally cooked yet)
- Prepare the sauce – 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp chili paste, 1/2 tsp corn starch, 3/4 tbsp splenda
When the protein is cooked through and the veggies are firm but no longer crunchy, stir in the sauce – it is spicy and sweet (and low calorie), and then toss the stir fry in the sauce and let it cook for about 1 minute to allow the sauce to thicken.
Spoon your stir fry on top of your large lettuce leaves, sprinkle on the thinly sliced almonds (Again, depends on your calorie needs here) and then roll them up like a tortilla, leaving the stem area of the lettuce open.
Use the appropriate amount of protein source, and add all the veggies you desire. The more you have to eat, and depending on the size of the leaves, the more lettuce wraps you’ll make. I generally make 2-3 wraps, again depending on lettuce size.
This recipe is essentially zero impact carbs, and kind of a spicy-teriyaki like sauce. Don’t use too much sauce or it’ll be really runny and messy. Less is more!
Happy eating!