Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Meatless Monday is a godsend, especially after a weekend full of heavier foods. These Asian-inspired vegetarian lettuce wraps provide the right amount of carbs to fill you up while remaining super light and tasty. Take a look, you’ll want to be sure to add this one to your recipe box.

Balance Makes Perfect

The balance in this dish is what makes it superb. Opposing flavors jive together creating a sweet and savory taste with warm and cool mouth-feel sensations. The tempeh and garbanzo beans provide a meat-like substance without having to utilize meat. Sautéing them together in a cast iron skillet allow the beans to brown and the millet in the tempeh to develop a nice crunch, adding to the texture variety.

If you don’t already, you must own a cast iron skillet; it’s one of the most important kitchen tools you can own. This is a link to my favorite pan in the cupboard: Le Creuset Signature Iron Handle Skillet.

Tempeh?

A mixture of tempeh and chopped garbanzo beans is the “meat” for today’s dish. If you’ve never had tempeh, it’s so worth trying. There are a few varieties, my favorite has millet incorporated into the cultured and fermented soybeans. It’s quite firm and tastes nutty.

Tip of The Day: Storing & Prepping Ginger

What else screams Asian other than garlic, ginger and soy sauce? That’s the super easy seasoning that adds a ton of flavor into the otherwise bland grains and legumes. Speaking of ginger, let me ask you, do you store it in the refrigerator? Unless you’re using it on a daily basis, it probably gets used once then ends up lost at the bottom of your produce drawer until you clean it out. 

Instead, store it in the freezer. It’ll last for months there! Good tip, yes, but the best tip of all is in the prep. All you need to peel ginger is a spoon. Fresh or frozen, use a spoon to easily peel the skin away.

Honey Garlic Glaze

Who doesn’t love a little sweet with their spicy? Don’t omit the glaze; the sauce makes the dish! Without it, the balance of flavors just isn’t there. A little goes a long way, so don’t overdo it. There is only 5 ingredients here, so be sure to follow the directions: add the sesame oil after cooking the garlic and honey together. Why? Heat destroys all the delicious properties of the oil, resulting in a non-fragrant, mild sauce. 

This what the honey, garlic and soy should look like before adding the sesame oil. 

 
Enjoy! And don’t forget to pin for later!

Asian Inspired Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps with Honey Garlic Glaze

2015-07-23 00:43:56

Serves 3

The perfect balance of sweet and spicy pairs perfectly with the contrast in temperatures. You'll never miss the meat in this healthy, tasty vegan dish.

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Total Time

20 min

Total Time

20 min

Ingredients

1. 3 Tablespoons Coconut or avocado oil
2. 3 Garlic cloves, minced
3. 1 teaspoon Ginger, minced
4. 8 oz. Tempeh, crumbled (see above photo)
5. 3/4 cup Garbanzo beans, thoroughly dried and chopped
6. 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
7. 1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
8. 12 Baby romaine leaves, washed and dried
9. handful of Carrots, shredded

Honey Garlic Glaze

1. 1/4 cup Honey
2. 2 Garlic cloves, minced
3. 1/4 teaspoon Ginger, minced
4. 1 Tablespoon Sesame oil
5. 1 teaspoon Soy sauce

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Add tempeh and garbanzo beans, stir and increase heat to high.
4. Cook for about 7 minutes; only stir 1-2 times. The goal is to attain browning.
5. Add soy sauce and Sriracha, stir to evenly mix.
6. Cook for another 7 minutes, again, don't stir much.
7. Once browned well, you're done.
8. While tempeh and beans are cooking prepare glaze and prep lettuce.
9. To prepare each wrap, add a bit of carrot, scoop of tempeh mixture to a piece of lettuce and top with a drizzle of glaze. I like to garnish with sesame seeds and a drizzle of Sriracha.

Honey Garlic Glaze

1. In a small sauce pan, heat honey, garlic and ginger over medium heat.
2. Honey should bubble and boil. Let cook for 1 minute.
3. Let cool slightly then add sesame oil.

Nutrition Info (1 serving)

1. Kcal 480 | Fat 25g | Sat Fat 14g | Chol mg | Sodium 862mg | Carb 44g | Fiber 11g | Sugar 26g | Protein 19g

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