Asian Turkey and Veggie Lettuce Wraps

My love affair with lettuce wraps began when I spent some time in South Korea in college.  While there, we would go to restaurants where the meat was cooked right at the table and was served with many wonderful Korean side dishes, rice, and leaves of greens.  It took me a bit to figure out the process, but through observation, I realized what to do - get the piece of lettuce, add some meat, some rice, some toppings and maybe some sauce, fold it all up and pop it in your mouth.  Amazing.  Ever since, I have loved lettuce wraps of all kinds.  This recipe is a very simple one, with the veggies and meat and sauce all cooked together so that there is only one final step at the table - fill the lettuce leaf  - and then enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS:

• ground turkey (~1.5 lb)
• carrot
• red pepper
• mushrooms
• green onion
• 1 cup (cooked) quinoa 
• 2 Tbs Hoisen Sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Romaine lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Begin cooking quinoa. (I usually add 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  This makes much more than the recipe needs, but I always have a use for leftover quinoa.)
2. Finely dice veggies (or use a chopper), keeping mushrooms separate.
3. In a small amount of olive oil, saute carrot, red pepper, green onion until beginning to soften.  Add mushrooms and saute a few minutes more.  
4. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce to the veggies, allow to simmer for 5 minutes.  Transfer veggies to a bowl.
5. In same skillet, brown ground turkey.  Once browned, add cooked veggies and 2 Tbsp Hoisen Sauce; mix.  Add 1 cup cooked quinoa; mix well.
6. Serve wrapped in Romain leaves.

Difficulty: medium (the dicing)

Time: 35 minutes

Source: my kitchen experiments