Another Great Made-Up Recipe!

I have been a bit creative this summer.  For one thing, I don't have a million places to be, and so I think about food more, and I enjoy cooking...other than when it requires turning on the oven when it's 110 outside!  Wish I were kidding!!  I've also been trying to be a better steward of my already purchased foods, without running back to the grocery store so often.  So, much less has been wasted around here...we're even eating our leftovers!!  Shocking, because that's just not our thing.  

But, leftovers there were not, because we loved this one...kids included.  Jossie of course exclaimed, "This is the yummiest meal ever!!" and had 3 helpings.  One thing about Jossie, is when she's eating, she's eating a lot!  She might skip a few meals, but when it's something she loves...look out!  Joe had to fight her off of the last little bit so he could have seconds.

So the recipe (approximations since I made it on the fly):

Thai Lettuce Wraps with Fried Rice

1 cup dry jasmine rice (cook according to package directions)

Soy sauce (I used Kikkoman low-sodium)

Ground Turkey (93% lean)

3 cloves minced garlic (divided)

1 large carrot

1/2 onion diced

1/2 zucchini diced

1/4 c. Newman's Own sesame ginger dressing

1/2 c. chopped peanuts

Lettuce for wrapping (large leaf like Romaine, green leaf, etc.)

1 egg.

1/4 tsp ground ginger.

2 packets Truvia

Brown the meat, and break it up.  Add 2/3 of the garlic, 1/2 of the onion, all of the zucchini, and grate half of the carrot into the mixture.  Add plenty of soy sauce, the dressing, the ginger (fresh would be better, but I didn't have any), and the truvia.  Add extra dressing or soy sauce to taste.  Add chopped peanuts at the end to warm through.  To serve: put lettuce leaves on plate, and a pile of meat mixture and some fried rice.  Let everyone fill their own lettuce and enjoy!  You could top with sliced scallions and chopped cilantro for added Thai flavor.

For the fried rice:

Warm a generous amount of olive oil in the pan (After what my pan looks like, I'm thinking stainless steel is not the way to go for this dish).  Dice the remainder of the carrot, and add to warm pan with remainder of garlic and onion.  Cook until softened.  Add the rice and let it brown some, stirring often.  Add plenty of soy sauce for flavor.  Make a hole in the middle of the rice mixture.  Beat an egg and add to the pan in the middle.  Scramble and stir into the rice.  Serve!  Also would be good with sliced scallions.

Mmmm...

Homemade is always better.  Doesn't leave you with that heavy, preservative-filled, grossed-out feeling.  

Feel free to give me some comment love.  You don't have to make this recipe to comment.