Thai Lettuce Wraps

So you want to enjoy some delicious Thai food, but you don't want the carbs of all the rice or noodles.  Well, make some Thai lettuce wraps!  They make a delicious appetizer or main course and you can make a couple different kinds to mix and match for a large group.  They're one of Caitlin's favorite, and well, I decided that it was time to make some instead of giving all the credit to that attention hog P.F. Chang!

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 to 1 lb Chicken, Shrimp, Tofu or a combination
2 Shallots Diced
1/4 C Red Onion
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 C Diced Ginger
1/4 C Chopped Green Onion
1 C Shredded Carrots roughly chopped
2 Tbsp Diced Garlic
2 or 3 Diced Thai Hot Peppers
OR
2 Long Green Hot Peppers
OR
2 Tsp in some Dried Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
(if you want spicy that is)
 Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
Head of Iceberg Lettuce or White Cabbage
1/4 C Peanut/Vegetable Oil

So, what you'll want to do is cut the meat into really small, 1/2 inch cubes and put in a bowl.  Add in the Lime Juice, Fish, Oyster, and Soy sauce so it can marinade.  Set aside the meat and dice the ginger, Red Onion, Green Onion and Shallots and put into a bowl.  Measure out a rough cup of shredded carrots and roughly chop on a cutting board and add to the veggie bowl.  Depending on how hot you want your wraps to be (I recommend at least putting in the crushed red pepper) add diced pepper to the veggie bowl.

Put a Wok onto the stove on med-high heat and add in the oil.  Let that heat up a little and then dump in the veggie bowl.  Stir fry for 2 or 3 minutes by constantly flipping and rotating with a spatula until the ginger and onions start to soften up.  Use a slotted spoon or fork to scoop the meat into the wok.  You don't want to add too much of the liquid or else the meat won't cook right.  You just want enough of the liquid to cover the bottom center of the wok.  Stir fry for another 3 or 4 minutes until the meat is cooked through and then place in a bowl and throw in a handful or two of roughly chopped basil (or Thai basil if you want the exotic flavor!).

Take the head of lettuce/cabbage and cut off the bottom inch or two to get the core removed.  Carefully remove as many large pieces of lettuce/cabbage as you can from the head and place on a serving bowl.  Bring both to the table and serve!  Spoon a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of filling into each lettuce/cabbage leave, roll up, and enjoy!  Delicious and really healthy!

Festive Low Carb Fish and Shrimp Tacos!

Hankering for something festive, spicy and moderately healthy?  Try Fish Tacos!  They're great for having people over on the patio, and they go great with a bottle of Corona or two (. . . or three, or four. . . ).  They're easy to make and they're quickly becoming a summer favorite of mine because you get the spice of tacos with lower carbs and all the healthy aspects of the fish!  Also, they're really customizable to what you like.  Here's what I made:

What You'll Need:
2-3 Tilapia Filets
and/or
3-4 Pre-cooked Frozen Shrimp (thawed with tails removed) per Shrimp Taco you want to make (so if you want to make 4 shrimp tacos, then that'd be 12-16 shrimp)

Marinade:
I used McCormick Grill Mates Baja Citrus Marinade Mix (they're about $1 at the grocery store in the spice aisle) but you can also make up your own:
1/4 C Lime Juice
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Vinegar (rice vinegar is what I've used, but wine vinegar would also work)
1/4 C of my Rub Mix
OR
3 Tbsp of Taco Seasoning plus 1 Tbsp of Chili Powder or Chipotle Powder

Place the fish and/or shrimp in a ziploc bag and pour in the marinade and then shake/turn the bag back and forth to make sure all the stuff is coated in the bag.  Marinade in the fridge for 20 minutes to 2 hours.  When you're ready to cook, turn on the broiler to warm it up.  Pull out a broiler pan (and I recommend wrapping the top piece of the broiler pan in foil, it just makes cleanup easier in the end) and lay out the fish (if you're cooking shrimp too, don't put it on yet, it doesn't need to cook as long).  For the first part in the grill, don't pour extra marinade on the fish, just take them with what they've got on them from the bag.

Once the broiler is hot and ready to go, put the fish under the broiler with the rack on the 2nd position from the top for 5 or 6 minutes and then remove from the broiler and flip the filets.  If you're also cooking shrimp, now add them to the broiler pan and drizzle any remaining marinade over the shrimp and/or fish so that they're all covered on top as much as possible and return to the broiler for another 5 or 6 minutes.

While the fish/shrimp is in the oven, it's time to make up the toppings! 

Toppings:
You'll definitely need:
Bok Choy or Cabbage (roughly chopped into 1/2" pieces)
Roughly Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Diced Red Onion
Roughly Chopped Orange Peppers (they have a sweeter spice to them and they add to the color of the dish)
Chopped Plum Tomatoes

Optional Add-ins:
Chopped Avocado
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
Ranch Dressing

If you want to have a low-carb fish taco, then I used 8'' Soft Taco Carb Balance Flour Tortillas, they're great!  They only have 7g Net of carbs per tortilla, and yet they still have a soft fluffy tortilla taste and texture. If you don't care about carbs, then I really recommend using Taco size Corn Tortillas, they add an extra flavor that really puts these over the top. Stick a few of these in the microwave covered with a moist paper towel for about 20 seconds to soften them up and then layer in the Cabbage, chunks of the fish and/or shrimp, peppers, onions and Cilantro and then top with any of the optional add-ins and enjoy!