Thai Cashew Lettuce Wraps

Oh my gosh I could blab forever about these lettuce wraps. They are sitch to make and cook up in about 15 minutes. Weeknight meal perfection. 

When I was younger my family used to have this obsession with P.F. Changs. Sweet Oklahoma City used to be deprived of most chain restaurants, so any trip we went on we would seek out the nearest P.F. Changs to get our fix. When I was in middle school one finally came to town, and my oldest sister even got a job there. The amount of lettuce wraps and great walls of chocolate I ate during her stint of hostessing is too many to mention. Nothing against Changs, but our palates have a matured a bit. 

These lettuce wraps bring back a taste of nostalgia, although they are quite different. They have more of a Thai flavor than Chinese, use soft butter lettuce instead of iceberg, and I use ground turkey instead of chicken. They are sure to please, so enjoy with a crowd of dinner guests! If your stingy, they save up well in the fridge too, so you can eat them over a couple days. 

Thai Cashew Lettuce Wraps adapted from Rasa Malaysia
serves 3

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. oil
1/4 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1/2 cup whole roasted cashews
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
1 head butter lettuce

Sauce:
3 Tbsp. Thai chili sauce
2 tsp. lime juice (1 lime)
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
Pinch of white sesame seeds

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Wash the butter lettuce then peel each leaf off the stem and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion, garlic, and cook until they are slightly browned. Add the ground turkey, and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the lumps. Add the cashews and soy sauce. Continue to cook the filling until the sauce starts to dry a bit but is still moist. Turn off the heat and add the chopped cilantro.

To assemble the lettuce wraps, take one piece of butter lettuce, spoon in a small amount of filling, top with the sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds!

Annie