Ever since going paleo a few years ago, we’ve been trying to expand our repertoire of recipes. A colleague suggested lettuce wraps and boom this recipe was born. It’s been tweaked over the years, but here it is in its latest form.
Asian Style Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Equipment
- Cuisinart Food Processor (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pasture-raised ground turkey
- 5 med carrots tops trimmed
- 4 celery stalks tops and ends trimmed
- 1 med. onion outer skin peeled and quartered
- 10-12 romaine lettuce leaves rinsed and dried
- 2 tbsp cooking fat ghee, duck fat, butter, etc.
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp coconut vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup green onions, diced optional garnish
Instructions
- Melt the cooking fat in a skillet over medium heat and add the ground turkey. Brown the meat.
- While the turkey is browning in the pan, grate the onion, celery, and carrots in a food processor, using the grater blade.
- Once turkey is nearly all browned, add the coconut aminos, vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Mix to combine.
- Add the grated vegetables and bring to a low simmer until veggies are cooked.
- Place ground turkey mixture on the romaine lettuce leaves. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
Onions are a good source of vitamins C and B6, potassium, and manganese. They are also rich in antioxidants, particularly quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin, which all play a role in cancer prevention. Onions also help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Quercetin plays a large role in healing the gut.
Carrots are good sources of vitamins A, C, B6 & K, biotin, potassium, thiamine (B1), and fiber. They are also rich in antioxidants and good source of starchy carbohydrates.
Turkey is rich in glutamine, which is an important amino acid for healing the small intestines of those with leaky gut. It is also rich in vitamins B6 and B12, protein, niacin, phosphorous, selenium, zinc, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, iron, potassium, and magnesium.
Ginger has long been used for gastrointestinal problems, making this an ideal food for those with leaky gut and other GI troubles. It relaxes and soothes the intestines and promotes the elimination of gas. It is also anti-inflammatory. Always choose fresh over dried, as it has higher levels of ginger’s active protease.