Lettuce wraps

When you don't eat carbs, it's always exciting to find some kind of replacement for tortillas, buns or pita bread.
The meal is even more delightful when the filling is delicious and hearty.
This lettuce wrap recipe came from a Johnson & Wales University Read more about Charlotte's culinary institute instructor who visited my son's high school Foods class.


The lettuce wraps at PF Changs are a family favorite yet, for some reason, I've never attempted to make them at home. This recipe is a surprisingly close replica to PF Changs' dish... it's salty, crunchy, juicy and refreshing.


As you continue reading this blog, you'll realize that these are not carb-zero dishes, they are instead, carb-less. As low carb as reasonably possible; substituting when it's obvious, cutting out the carbs that are blatant and maintaining a balance between a selective diet and sanity. The last thing many people desire is a diet so restrictive it's complicated, costly and a burden.


Substituting lettuce for breads and other carb-loaded wraps is an easy and common way to enjoy foods you're used to. This lettuce wrap issue will come up again down the road when we take a tour of restaurants that happily accommodate carb-less eaters.


In this recipe, I actually substituted shredded carrots for water chestnuts. Now, water chestnuts have a pretty high carb content on the can.. but learn to read those labels correctly, determine what amount of carbs you're comfortable with and most importantly, learn which carbs you can eat without adverse side affects (stomach aches and bloating).


In one cup of water chestnuts, you'll see:
              Carbs: 17.2g
minus    Dietary Fiber: 3.5g
equals   Net Carbs: 13.7g


13.7 grams per one cup is a pretty significant number for staunch carb-less eaters, but those carbs come from a vegetable and have no negative impact on me after I eat them, so they're part of my diet. They satisfy that need for crunchy texture in foods too. The recipe actually calls for those chow mein noodles to add the crunch. Those devilish delights are loaded with carbs and no benefit.
In one cup of chow mein noodles: 

Total Carbohydrates		38.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.0 g

Net Carbohydrates

36.0 g

Another thing to make note of in this dish, is the Hoisin sauce. Sauces, gravies and creams are those sneaky little additions in food that add to the dishes' carb count. Another thing you'll have to keep your eye on, decide what you can live without, and determine how little you can have without sacrificing the flavor of the dish.


In one tablespoon of Hoisin Sauce:
Carbs: 7.1g
Dietary Fiber: 0.4g
Net Carbs: 6.7g

Lettuce Wraps
Serves 8


In a wok or skillet, brown 1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey or chicken.
Remove meat, leaving some of the grease in the pan to sautee 1/2 chopped onion, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 tbl ginger. 
Add meat back to the pan, mix in 1 tbl soy sauce, 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce and 1 8-oz can water chestnuts chopped.
Add in 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro just before serving.
Cut a head of lettuce in half long ways.
Serve the meat mixture in lettuce bowls.
BONUSES:
It's easy to reheat
Leftover lettuce can be used in salads
One jar of Hoisin will make several dinners
Extra cilantro can be used on breakfast eggs
The extra salty soy sauce is actually argued to be beneficial to carb-less diet eaters. Read more about salt here

The birth

This is the birth of something new, so Happy Birthday. After a year of eating carb-less, it seems the perfect time to share tips, experiences, tricks, and lessons and seek feedback from others who've decided pastas, rice, potatoes and processed sugars are not part of a healthy lifestyle.

By combining a love for trying new restaurants with an ability to write, this blog will help carb-less eaters find the perfect places to eat in Charlotte and hopefully encourage those eager to try the "lifestyle" to stick their toes in the water.

The first order of business though, would be to encourage you to read the book that got me hooked.. "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. Find his book here As I reached 33-years-old, slowly but surely, an l-b here and an l-b there started to creep on the hips. Cutting out meat didn't work and it was getting tiresome seeking alternatives that would fill me up, were easily available and pleasing to the palate. Luckily, just in time, as I stretched out the pants in my wardrobe and dreaded most of the weight loss alternatives, I met someone who introduced me to the book and a new way of eating.

His body, physical fitness and health were the best argument for a carb-less lifestyle. At 45-years-old his muscle definition exemplifies his quote supporting Taubes' research "meat make meat, dough makes dough." In the past year, there have been many people intrigued by the restaurant orders, the discarded bread from burgers, the option for salads instead of a restaurant's world-famous fries. Half turn their noses up and half try the carb-less menu but very, very few make it a habit.

It's not easy. 

This blog was born out of that understanding. Because it's a complete paradigm shift, a swim against the tide, a marathon all uphill, it seems extremely beneficial to share what helps the athlete stay in the race. After a year, there are still many cravings. Chocolate chip cookies are still my surreptitious delights. But still, day in and day out, a carb-less meal has become my way of life.

So, Happy Birthday, enjoy that meatloaf cupcake up there.. unless that's mashed cauliflower on top as icing.. it's probably mashed potatoes, so scrape them off and dig in.