Asian Lettuce Wraps

Wow. I may have found the perfect weeknight recipe! Every week, I try to balance out my traditional (and unfortunately, the sometimes unhealthy) Italian recipes with a light dinner. On weeknights, I prefer something healthy, quick, easy to prepare, and flavorful. When I was doing my usually search the my favorite recipe sights, I came across Rachel's Asian Lettuce Wraps on All Recipes. The only thing I had to change was the lettuce-the commissary doesn't carry Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves, so I had to settle for iceberg. Not my favorite, but given the flavor of the beef it was my next best option. Next time I will definitely make a double batch, because both Will and I fell in love with these amazing wraps and they were quickly devoured.

Ingredients

• 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!