We’re back and it’s 2015! Crazy, but we’re super excited for the new year around here. I’ve always loved that extra motivation and the feeling of a fresh start that each new year seems to bring.
Yes, we are totally those nerds who make a long list of resolutions for the upcoming year. This year one of the top resolutions we made was to start making some healthy lifestyle changes (so original…I know). Now that we are almost six months post Baby D, we can no longer use the baby excuse. Time to start getting our butts in gear.
I’ve read a number of resolution-making posts recently on other blogs that I follow and have found that the idea of having a word to focus on that encompasses all of your resolutions for the year ahead has become increasingly popular. So I decided to try to jump on board and find a word that was flexible enough to include goals around health, spiritual strengthening, serving others more, self discovery, etc. And the word that seems to capture them all best is “Restore”. So whether working on restoring ourselves or others this year we are looking forward to our restoration efforts. What are your goals/resolutions for 2015?
Sorry to leave your mouth watering with the pic of those lettuce wraps while I rambled on about resolutions. On to the tastiness…
We have long been a fan of P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps. Quite frankly, they are the sole reason for us to go there in the first place. I’ve pinned a number of copycat recipes onto my Recipes to Try Soon board, but came across this particular recipe on P.F. Chang’s web site. They aren’t identical wraps to those served in the restaurant, but they have a citrus flare to them and were pretty darn tasty.
These would make a great party appetizer, but we chose to enjoy them as our main course (trying to be healthier and all).
Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken
- 3 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
- 1 Tbs garlic, minced
- ½ tsp dry chili flakes
- 3Tbs vegetable oil
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, cleaned
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 Tbs hoisin sauce
- 1 oz scallions, sliced thin (optional)
- 2 Tbs soy sauce
Directions:
- Dice the chicken into tiny pieces and place in mixing bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, chili flakes and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Whisk together.
until well mixed. - Let marinate in refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Mix together the citrus juices, soy, and hoisin sauce in a separate bowl.
- Clean the romaine lettuce — chop off the stem, peel each piece and run under water. (Or buy the Artisan Romaine heads of lettuce at Costco). Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
- Chop scallions (if using) into rings and reserve chilled.
- Coat a very hot sauté pan lightly with vegetable oil. Lay the chicken around the sauté pan (be careful not to crowd the chicken). Cook the chicken until crispy and golden brown,
about 2 ½ minutes. Once chicken is brown, toss gently in pan and cook another 2 ½ minutes. - Add ½ of the citrus soy mixture to the sauté pan and coat the chicken until it is glazed and thickens on the meat. Add more or less depending on your preference.
- Spoon chicken onto a plate and wrap in romaine lettuce.
- Enjoy as is or serve with sticky rice.
Recipe from: P.F. Chang’s
