I love changing up the standard idea of dinner. Who doesn’t love the idea of eating a giant appetizer for dinner!? Even if you are a diehard fan of the meat, potato and vegetable dinner, I still think that you would love these wraps. They would be great for parties or for a heavy lunch.
The apples in the recipe really took me by surprise. The sweetness was perfect to balance the saltiness of the sauce. They also added a really nice crunch. Even though I looked at this recipe twice before shopping I somehow managed to miss that I was out of hoisin sauce. Thankfully, I found a recipe online for hoisin sauce and the ingredients were all things that I had in my pantry (and if you make Asian food at home, then you probably have it in yours too). Because I made the hoisin sauce at home, it does taste slightly different from the thicker, sweeter store-bought version. I increased the amount of hoisin sauce used because of this. If you are using store-bought hoisin sauce, start with the recommended amount first. I used the leftover sauce and spooned it over the lettuce wraps.
Enjoy!

Prep Time: 35-40 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Thanks to Sunny side up in San Diego and Good Times and Good Food for the recipe!
*adapted recipe below

Hoisin Sauce

4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic chili paste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Simply mix together.
At first, it does not appear like it will mix but, keep at it just a bit longer and you have.

For the Lettuce Wraps:

Ingredients
Sauce
4 tsp hoisin sauce (I used about 6 teaspoons of hoisin, start with 4 and season to taste!)
4 tsp soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper

Filling
2 tsp canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 lb. ground turkey, chicken, or pork (I did a combination of ground pork)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup carrot, very finely diced
1/2 green apple, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (like sriracha, this is optional)
Lettuce, for wrapping

Directions
In a measuring cup, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce, set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the canola oil to the pan along with the garlic, shallot, and ginger. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until fragrant.

Add the ground meat to the pan, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until the meat is no longer pink then create a well in the center of the pan by pushing the meat to the outside edges. Add the onion, bell pepper, frozen peas, and carrot to pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally add the sauce, apples, sriracha and green onion. Stir to evenly coat and cook for 1 minute to allow the sauce to slightly thicken.

Serve with fresh lettuce