MEXICAN TURKEY LETTUCE WRAPS

Since I am cooking for only one person now, I like to make dishes that I get "double duty" out of.  What I mean by that is using one main ingredient for two different meals and, after I have a dinner, I also get lunch from the same meal.

If I roast a chicken, I get at least two dinners out of the chicken and then I make two different stir fries out of what I do not eat the first night.  I usually make a soup out of the carcass.  So for about nine dollars, I get four main meals out of the chicken and a pot of soup which will probably give me about another five meals.  Do the math: I just made at least six main course meals for less than ten dollars.

I make things that are easy and which I can use for my lunch the next day.   I am a diabetic and I never leave the house without food and water.  It sounds funny but I never know how long I am going to be out of the house, and skipping meals is not healthy for a diabetic.  So I always carry water, food, and healthy snacks with me.  I drink about three quarts of water a day.  Not only is it a much better alternative to soft drinks and sugary drinks, but it does wonders for the skin.

One of my new year resolutions this year is not to spend any money on any prepared or takeout food.  If it does not come out of my kitchen then I am not going to eat it.  When you actually figure out how much money you spend on takeout or prepared food...well, I know I could have gone on some pretty good vacations, especially last year.

As eating healthier is one of my main self-improvement tasks now, here is a dish pertaining to that. I could never make this for Irwin because he was not a huge fan of Mexican food, but I make it all the time because I like the combination of vegetables and I especially love portable food.  Any dish I can make and pack with vegetables is a winner for me. So instead of going through that drive-through or ordering that pizza, try making some of your own versions of takeout. 

Mexican Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

Filling:

• 12 ounces ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• One red pepper diced
• One green pepper diced
• One small onion chopped
• 1 chili pepper chopped (Any hot pepper you like)
• One small head iceberg lettuce, leaves pulled apart

Drizzling Sauce:

• ½ cup enchilada sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce
• ½  cup green chili sauce
• 8 to 12 large iceberg lettuce leaves, cleaned and dry
• Shredded carrots, for serving
• Low fat cheddar cheese for serving
• Chopped tomato for serving
• Chopped red onion for serving
• Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Directions

For the filling: brown the turkey in the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the vegetables and cook until the mushrooms soften. In a small bowl, mix the ingredients for the drizzling sauce, pour half of the mixture into the turkey meat and cook for about 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat.

Serve the turkey mixture with the lettuce leaves, drizzling sauce and vegetables for lettuce wrap assembly. Put the turkey mixture in a bowl, and the rest of the ingredients in smaller bowls and let everyone assemble their own wraps.