Veggie Loaded Lettuce Wraps

Just go ahead and admit.  You save up your calories.  When you’ve got a delicious feast in the near-future, you know you try to be on your best behavior so that you can binge eat without inhibition.  Don’t be ashamed.  You’re doing it the smart way.  And if you are like me, not only do you play around with your calories when you are “saving up” for a feast, but you play around with the food pyramid as well. 

So, for example, if you are going to a Peach Festival, and know you will be consuming copious amounts of fruit….you may or may not eliminate fruit from your diet the day before.

Ok.  Bad example.  No one really got fat off fruit.

So, for example, say you are going to the Ben and Jerry’s factory, and you know you will be consuming copious amounts of ice cream, you may or may not eliminate dairy from your diet the day before.

Ok.  Another bad example.  You can’t really do anything to counteract the effects of Ben and Jerry.

Ok.  So say it is Saturday night.  And you KNOW you are making delicious homemade bread on Sunday.  And so you want to minimize carbohydrate load on Saturday to account for the fact that you may or may not have any self restraint when it comes to fresh bread.  THIS meal is the perfect solution.  You get TONS of veggies, lots of food, plenty of nutrients, and very little carbs.  You feel full all evening and feel even better knowing that tomorrow’s indulgences in *gasp* all white flour bread will be guilt-free.

NB: I know.  Carbs are not evil.  They are part of a healthy diet.  Don’t get on your soap box with me here.  I’ll go toe-to-toe.  I won’t back down.  Atkins’ diet is just silly.  All I’m trying to say here is that if you KNOW you’re going to eat ALL CARBS one day, why not focus on ALL VEGGIES the day before.  That’s all.  Simmer down.

Veggie Loaded Lettuce Wraps (serves 2)
Prepare the following stir fry sauce and set aside

Stir Fry Sauce
1 T agave nectar (can sub honey, brown sugar, white sugar in the amount of 1.5 T)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Stir Fry veggies
1/2 cup chick peas
1/2 carrot, diced
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 can chopped water chestnuts
1 scallion, sliced, for garnish
handful cashews, chopped, for garnish
sesame seeds, for garnish
1/4 tsp anise seed, crushed

7-8 full leaves of lettuce

In a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and warmed over medium heat, add chick peas, carrot, bell pepper, and water chestnuts with crushed anise seed.  Cook 2-4 minutes, until veggies begin to soften.  Add stir fry sauce and continue to cook until most of the sauce has evaporated or has been absorbed.  Transfer to a plate and top with garnishes.

Take a bite.  Oh yeah, let’s give props to the Omnivore for this one.  The man grew that lettuce in my backyard. Serious stuff, people, serious stuff.