TIP OF THE DAY: Lettuce Wraps

September 4, 2013 at 8:09 am · Filed under Appetizers-Hors d’Oeuvre, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

Lettuce wraps garnered attention for a while, but seem to have faded from view. So here’s a reminder:

Let lettuce take the place of tortillas, bread and other refined-carb, low-nutrition sandwich wrappers. Turn them into lunch or snack fare—or as in the photo, hors d’oeuvre.

Lettuce wraps are fun food. You’ll get family members to eat more fiber and snack healthier. You can even create a groovy hors d’oeuvre.

First decide on your filling(s):

Traditional sandwich fillings: egg, chicken and tuna salad

Vegetarian fillings: avocado vinaigrette, caponata, carrot salad, cucumber salad, hummus, raw or grilled vegetables, tofu salad, etc.

Fancy fillings: crab salad, shrimp salad; sliced beef, lamb or pork with appropriate condiments

Optional garnishes: capers, chopped nuts, fresh basil or dill, sliced olives and/or pimento (roasted red peppers)

Lettuce wraps are fashionable, appearing here at a red carpet party in New York City, filled with crab salad and accompanied by Champagne. Photo © Adam Sung | Chandon USA.

Use romaine hearts or Boston (bibb) lettuce for the wraps.

Tear the top portion of romaine leaves into a manageable length; reserve the rest of the romaine for a green salad.

Fill, garnish and serve.

The following recipe is a fusion of a lettuce wrap and a tortilla wrap. The tortilla—whole wheat for better nutrition—makes things a bit neater, but is optional.

blueberry-chicken-salad-wraps-blueberrycouncil.org-230

Lettuce and tortilla wraps. Recipe and photo courtesy U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS

While domestic blueberries are still in markets, add some of the high-antioxident, zingy nuggets to wrap sandwiches.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ cup finely chopped celery

¼ teaspoon salt

2 cups diced cooked chicken

¾ cup fresh blueberries

6 large lettuce leaves

6 (6-inch diameter) whole-wheat tortillas

Preparation

1. COMBINE yogurt, mayonnaise, celery and salt in a medium bowl. Gently stir in chicken and blueberries.

2. MAKE a stack of tortillas separated by damp paper towels, and warm in the microwave: Microwave on high until hot, 30 to 60 seconds.

3. PLACE warm tortillas on the counter. Top each tortilla with a lettuce leaf. Scoop about ½ cup chicken-blueberry salad on each lettuce leaf.

4. ROLL each tortilla into a cylinder. Cut each in half or thirds. Secure with toothpicks, if desired. Serve immediately or wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate.

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