Thai Turkey Skillet (lettuce wraps)

If you like Thai food with hints of heat (spice) along with a slight nuttiness of nut butters, then you'll LOVE this! Josh made it last night for dinner and I seriously DID NOT want my serving to end!

It was spicy, nutty, tangy and colorful too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean ground turkey

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. minced or grated fresh ginger (original recipe calls for 2 Tbsp)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. peanut butter (preferably natural)**

2 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

8 cups spinach (original recipe calls for 8 romaine lettuce leaves to use for lettuce wraps)

Brown the ground turkey in a large non-stick skillet or wok; drain the grease.
Add the peppers, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Cook over medium-high heat about 4 min, or until the peppers have softened slightly.
Meanwhile, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cilantro.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the peanut butter mixture to the skillet; mix well.
Serve 1 cup of the meat mixture over a bed of spinach (2 cups).

**This dish would be considered paleo if you use an almond butter.

Recipe courtesy of: The book, FIT2FAT2FIT by Drew Manning p. 146

Thai Chicken w/ a Peanut Chili Sauce

1/2 c. Honey
1/4 c. Peanut butter
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups snow peas
3 cups cooked brown rice (optional, or you may use butter lettuce as a "lettuce wrap")
(above recipe courtesy of 24 hour fitness)

Combine honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, cilantro and red pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Steam Vegetables until crisp tender and drain well. Place in a large skillet and set aside on very LOW heat.

2 chicken breasts, cut up into cubes
9 tbsp flour
3 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. nature seasoning (or any other seasoning you like on chicken)
olive oil
frying pan

Cut chicken breast in cubes. Salt and pepper the chicken breast.
Combine flour, chili powder and nature seasoning in a Ziploc bag.
Put chicken in the bag with the flour mixture.
Seal it and roll it around until chicken is evenly coated.
Cook the coated chicken in a small pan in some olive oil. (Cook the chicken in small batches)
Make sure the oil is piping hot to sear the chicken. Once placed on the oil, do not move the chicken. Let it cook on each side for about 3 min. the more you move the chicken around, the more the oil will cool down...(Therefore allowing the flour to just SOAK in MORE oil, instead of cooking it...well, at least that's what happened to me and that's the conclusion I came up with)

After you have cooked the chicken, place the cooked chicken in the large pan with the steamed veggies. Keep the lid on the large pan, on low heat.

Repeat until all chicken is cooked.

Once all the chicken is cooked and placed in the large pan with the veggies, raise the heat to medium.
Cover all the chicken and Veggies with the Peanut sauce.

Warm everything together and serve over rice or in Butter lettuce cups. Whatever you feel like! Either way, it's super yummy!

(chicken recipe courtesy of Sheri Bird, my other momma, with a few tweaks of my own)

Thai Lettuce Cups

This is one of my husband's favorite dishes!! I make this for him for every birthday! He always requests this dinner. It's lo-fat and REALLY tasty!!!

1 tbsp olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into to strips

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 iceberg lettuce heads, cut in quarters and leaves gently removed for cups, or you can use butter lettuce leaves.
1/2 cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped
Juice of 1 lime

1 handful basil, chopped

Yields: 4 servings

Place a large skillet over medium high heat with 1 turn of the pan of olive oil, about 1 tbsp. Season the chicken with Salt and ground black pepper, and cook in the pan until golden brown on all sides.

Add in the red pepper, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add in the chili sauce and honey, and reduce to coat the chicken. 

To serve, lay the lettuce leaves out onto a platter then scoop some of the chicken mixture onto each leaf. Sprinkle with the topped peanuts, lime juice and basil.

(However, when I COOK IT, I just put everything in the skillet and it gives the basil some time to marinate within all the flavors....it still tasted wonderful)

recipe courtesy of http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/thai-lettuce-cups/

Thai Shrimp Bisque

2 C brown rice, prepare as usual and keep warm
1 lb uncooked, tail-on medium shrimp

1 TBS vegetable oil
¼ C sliced green onions OR regular onion, chopped
1 inch piece peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 TBS cornstarch
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS Hoisin sauce (found in Asian section of grocery)
1 tsp salt
1 TBS tomato paste
1 tsp curry powder (to preferred taste)
dash of cayenne pepper (optional, can be slightly spicy already from the ginger)

2 C chicken broth
1 can lite coconut milk (or regular)
fresh lime juice, to taste

8 oz sliced mushrooms (or less if desired)
1 can plain diced tomatoes, drained (or 1 C diced fresh tomatoes)
2 TBS snipped cilantro



DIRECTIONS:

1. Clean and remove tails from shrimp, set aside.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot. Add onions, ginger and garlic; cook and stir 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in cornstarch, sugar, Hoisin sauce, salt, tomato paste, curry and cayenne.
4. Gradually add broth, coconut milk and lime juice. Bring to a boil.
5. Add mushrooms. Simmer 3-4 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes; simmer 3-4 more minutes.
7. Add shrimp (at very end...like 3-5 minutes before you think you'll be eating) and cook for 3-5 min.
8. Ladle into soup bowls; top with hot cooked rice and snipped cilantro.

Recipe: Courtesy of Melanie Redd