Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Cilantro Lime Rice

At the first sign of warm weather I started thinking about quick dinners perfect for warm nights during the week. The first dish I made was one I've made several times, but never shared here on the blog. It was inspired by one of my favorite restraints, Red Ginger. I rarely get to enjoy the perfect mood lighting, fine decor and amazing food of Red Ginger as its located 6 hours away in Traverse City, Michigan. After my first visit there I knew I had to find a way to recreate an appetizer I thoroughly enjoyed at the restaurant.


Asian Chicken Wraps. Delicious! I googled like a mad man to find something close to the magnificent and fresh flavors I had experienced. After a few tests I came up with something very close to the original. I couldn't have been happier!

I serve these wraps alongside Cilantro Lime Rice. It's add a perfect side dish and slight pop of flavor to go with the main dish. While I had these as an appetizer, I serve them as a meal. I make a large amount of the filling and buy a three pack of Romaine Lettuce. Trust me, you'll want to make the recipe in the quantity below if you're feeding a few people. It will be eaten!

I have posted a recipe that is along the same lines as this, but I used shredded chicken instead. (You can find that recipe here.) Either way, it's a perfectly delicious meal guaranteed to please the hungry stomach any night of the week.

Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

2-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 pounds ground chicken

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

2 Tablespoons fresh Cilantro, chopped

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

3-4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 heads Romain Lettuce, minimum

Direction:

1. Prepare Romain Lettuce by cutting off the ends and cleaning thoroughly. Set aside.

2. Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and hoisin sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Cook chicken, in oil, until done. Add onion and cook until onions are tender.

3. Add garlic, ginger, and cilantro and cook until heated thoroughly.

5. Mix in sauce mixture and heat though. Serve along side Cilantro Lime Rice and Romain Lettuce.

6. Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice
2 cups water
Juice of one lime
1-2 Tablespoon fresh Cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Cook rice as directed.
2. Halfway through cooking add the lime and cilantro.
3. Finish cooking and serve warm.

Honey Dijon Salmon and Lemon Zested Quinoa

A fast and healthy meal…Really?! 

Photos by PB

Yes! Really. Look at that beauty above. I promise it's delicious and it will take just over 30 minutes. No joke.

I came across a recipe that inspired this dish in a daily email I receive. It's been lying in the back files of my mind for a few weeks now. I had some company coming that motivated me to try out this recipe I had in mind. Said company is also the photographer so I had to feed him. ;-) 

Here are a few photos taken during the cooking process. 

That's me! Showing that lemon who's boss. - Photo by PB

Yum! - Photo by PB

Photo by PB

This dish is incredibly; simple, cost effective, delicious and healthy (if you substitute the Olive Oil for butter). From the photo above you can see how few ingredients and dishes there are. The process is simple as well. Coat the Salmon and sprinkle with bread crumb/pecan mixture. Pop it in the oven and you're good to go. While the Salmon cooks the Quinoa will cook in the same amount of time. All done at once and ready to enjoy!

Apply the breadcrumbs and press them in just a bit. Photo by PB

All ready to hit the oven rack and bake! Photo by PB

Now onto the Lemon Zested Quinoa. First, fresh lemon juice is one of my favorite scents and fresh lemon zest is one of my favorite flavors to finish a dish. There's nothing like smelling the fresh squeezed lemon or tasting that little pop of flavor from the finishing touch of zest. Second, Quinoa...What in the heck is Quinoa?!

That was my first reaction when I saw it start popping up on Food Network and in magazines. It always looked delicious, but I never knew what it was or how it tasted. A recent trip (my first time) to a Trader Joes gave me a chance to discover what it was. The most important thing to know about it is this...it's unique texture and light flavor are perfect. While its unique flavor is good, it's even better with a hint of lemon. I highly recommend giving it a try. It's a little pricy when you look at the amount you get, but trust me 1 cup cooked up makes a few healthy servings! 

A little more in depth: Quinoa (which is actually a seed, not a grain) is quite nutritional. It has a healthy serving of protein, essential amino-acids and is gluten/cholesterol-free. A healthier substitute for rice, be sure to check it out. 

Quinoa cooking. Photo by PB

Time to get cooking...Enjoy!

Honey Dijon Salmon and Lemon Zested Quinoa         

Honey Dijon Salmon

Ingredients:

4 Salmon fillets

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (or olive oil)

3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/4 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup chopped Pecans

Olive Oil

Pepper

Directions:

1. Use Olive Oil to grease a 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 400º.

2. In a small bowl mix Butter, Dijon Mustard, and Honey.

3. In another small bowl mix the Pankp Bread Crumbs, Pecans and Pepper (to taste).

4. With a brush apply honey/mustard mix to the bottom of the salmon and place in the pan. Brush the top of the salmon with the honey/mustard mix. 

5. Sprinkle, generously, the bread crumb mix over the salmon and lightly press onto salmon.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until an internal temperature of 140º.

Lemon Zested Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 cup Tricolor or Regular Quinoa

2 cups water

juice of 1 Lemon

3 Green Onions (just the green)

Zest of one Lemon

Directions:

1. Be sure to wash the Quinoa before you use it. 

2. Mix the water and Quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Once boiling, reduce heat and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

4. After it's cooked add the lemon juice and onion. Remove from heat.

5. When ready to serve, top with Lemon Zest. Enjoy!

[Printable Recipe]