227 calories, 4.5g fat, 875mg sodium, 21g carbs, 3g fiber, 12.5g sugars, 23g protein
The recipe: "Hungry Girl 1-2-3", pages 20 - 21
or http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/1232
It is a good thing that I didn't listen to my husband's protests over me making this dish. After claiming that he doesn't like most Thai food, nor does he like peanut sauce, I still made this anyway since I love both of those things. Sorry, dear! After I tried the first lettuce cup and said how good it was, my husband decided that maybe he would try one after all. Three lettuce cups later (a whole serving, in other words), and I was glad I had doubled the recipe. He said they were actually pretty good - can I say I told you so?
One of my favorite appetizers at the Cheesecake Factory (one of my favorite restaurants that I now avoid like the plague!) is their Thai lettuce wraps. I have been craving those recently, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try them. These were delicious! And as far as I can remember, they taste just about as good as any thai lettuce wraps that I have had at a restaurant. These definitely did the job of satisfying my cravings for this appetizer.
I do have to admit that I cheated a little bit with the chicken. I had just picked up a large package of precooked grilled chicken strips from Costco, so I measured out 6 ounces (I doubled the recipe) of those instead of cooking the chicken myself. I sprinkled the chicken with the garlic powder, heated it in the microwave for 30 seconds, and added the peanut sauce. Super quick and easy, and I think it still tasted great. This is not something I usually do, but I was really not in the mood to cook and make a mess last night.
I loved the flavors of the rice vinegar, cilantro, green onion, and Thai peanut sauce together in this dish. So good! I was actually so happy with the way the recipe turned out, that I made a salad with the same ingredients for dinner. I just added more lettuce and a little more rice vinegar for flavor, and topped everything with a little chicken and peanut sauce. The only unfortunate thing was that I was unable to find a low-fat Thai peanut sauce or dressing at the grocery store. I looked in both the salad dressing aisle as well as the Asian section, and could only find the higher fat versions. The best I could find had 80 calories and 3.5g fat for two tablespoons - not the best stats, but worth the extra point for this recipe.
If you like Thai lettuce wraps as much as I do, then this is a good recipe for you. Just keep in mind that it is five points for just an appetizer, and this is not enough food to fill you up for an entire meal.
I think husbands should have to wear an "I told you so" hat when they do stuff like that. ;)
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