Asian Lettuce Wraps with Chili Peanut Sauce

Cool and crisp–lettuce wraps are a fantastic way to get your daily serving of veggies and more! These healthy wraps are high in protein and totally vegan. They are so simple to make and are perfect as a lunch or appetizer item.

Ingredients you’ll need:

Dice the following ingredients for the filling:

• 3/4 cup purple cabbage
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium orange bell pepper
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots (optional)
• 1 bulb of fennel (sliced like in the picture above)
• 3/4 cup of baby corn
• 2-3 stems of celery
• handful of cilantro
• handful of pea sprouts or bean sprouts
• 1 block organic extra-firm tofu
• organic coconut oil
• Sambal Oelek Chili Paste
• low sodium soy sauce
• sesame oil
• rice vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped roasted peanuts (optional)

For the Chili Peanut Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons Sambal Oelek Chili Paste (NOT the Garlic Chili Paste–make sure you read this correctly!)
• 2-3 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• lemon juice to taste

To Wrap:

• 1 head iceberg lettuce (or butter lettuce), leaves separated and rinsed

Let’s cook:
Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a sauté pan on medium-high heat. Next, add your tougher veggies (fennel, celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, peanuts, and baby corn). Mix together and cook for about 5 minutes; then set aside.

Next, heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil, a drizzle of sesame oil, and a spoon of rice vinegar in the pan. Then, pan-fry the tofu until golden brown and crispy on the edges. Add in purple cabbage, bell pepper, and bean/pea sprouts; cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add initial batch of tougher veggies back into the mixture for final seasoning. Squeeze in lemon juice. Drizzle soy sauce and sambal oelek chili paste to evenly coat and toss the mixture. Don’t forget to add a twist or two of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper. Sprinkle cilantro over the filling and transfer to a glass bowl.

Get saucy:
Microwave or use a small pot to heat the peanut butter, soy sauce, and sambal oelek chili paste. Whisk ingredients together with some lemon juice to form a smooth sauce. Add black pepper if desired.

It’s a wrap:
Take one lettuce leaf and scoop a generous portion of the filling in. Drizzle the sauce over the mixture, fold up the leaf, and munch on your savory creation!