Sweet and Tangy Lettuce Wraps with Ginger-Soy Brown Rice

Hello, hello, how are all of you doing with this crazy weather?  In the Boston area, we felt a small earthquake earlier in the week, and are now getting ready for Hurricane Irene.  Or Tropical Storm Irene...whoever she is!

So, remember how we really like to eat appetizers for dinner?  Well, here we go again, more finger food for dinner!  But seriously, these lettuce wraps were a very successful dinner for my family, who, last week, included my sister who does not eat gluten.  They were quick and easy to make, with a sauce that tasted a little like a barbecue sauce but with Asian flavorings.  If you wanted a heartier meal, you could serve the filling in a whole wheat tortilla for extra-yummy wraps.  I served my lettuce wraps with a sweet, spicy, salty ginger-soy brown rice that was so tasty!

Sweet and Tangy Lettuce Wraps
serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer
from The Stocked Kitchen, by Sarah Kallio and Stacey Krastins, with minor adaptations


Ingredients:
Glaze:
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp peach or apricot preserves
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce

12 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
4-6 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 bell pepper, sliced
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup cabbage and carrot mixture (bagged slaw mix)
Iceberg or Bibb lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions:
1. Mix together all the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl, and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  When warm, add the chicken, and cook through until done.  Stir in the garlic powder, bell pepper, scallions, and slaw mix.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add the glaze and cook until just heated.
3. Spoon the chicken mixture into lettuce leaves for serving.

Ginger-Soy Brown Rice
serves 3
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
2 scallions, chopped
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water.  Cook on high until boiling.
2. Add the brown rice, and lower the heat to a simmer.
3. Cook for 45 - 50 minutes.  Add the scallions about five minutes before the rice is done so that they can cook through.