Spring is most definitely in the air. Even though we don’t really have seasons here in Southern California we’ve had about 3 or 4 days this past month that were rainy and cool. Whenever the spring weather hits I start craving crunchy, crispy refreshing meals that are full of flavor. These lettuce wraps really hit the spot. There is a great crunch from the water chestnuts and the Asian inspired sauce is full of flavor. This recipe makes a large amount and I enjoyed this dish for lunch everyday this past week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

~Sarah

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, if canned, rinsed and drained
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 8 ounces sliced water chestnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1 head of bibb lettuce
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce (if you follow a gluten free diet make sure to use a gluten free sauce)
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (regular sesame oil will work as well but you will lose some of the richness in the sauce)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp raw honey or coconut nectar

Preparation:

1.  In a large bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients and set aside.

2. Add the last 6 ingredients to a small bowl and mix together until throughly combined. If using honey it helps to heat it up a little to make it easier to mix in.

3. Pour the sauce over the quinoa mixture and stir to combine.

4. Carefully remove the lettuce leaves from the bibb lettuce and fill each lettuce leaf with the quinoa mixture. You can fill them up as much as you wish.

Nutritional Info:

Makes approximately 20 lettuce wraps.

Serving size 4 lettuce wraps.

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 318.5, Cal. from Fat: 73, Total Fat: 8.5g, Sat. Fat: .5g, Carbs: 47g, Fiber: 8g, Sugars: 6.5g, Protein: 12.5g, Sodium: 1166.5mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:

The leftover quinoa mixture will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. The quinoa will soak up the flavor of the sauce and make excellent leftovers. The recipe makes a large amount so you can enjoy these tasty wraps for lunch or dinner the entire week.