While January this year seemed to crawl, February flew by and we are already in March! Not just March, but March with double digit temperatures outside (in Toronto) and that is amazing. As the thermostat begins to rise, I start coming out of my winter hibernation, switching gears from stews and hotpot to salads and gazpacho. With the world’s current events, many people across the country, us included, are spending our days at home. This is a great, healthy recipe that is easy and quick to make from the comfort of your kitchen.
For this recipe of Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps I was inspired by one of my favourite cuisines, Korean BBQ. We’ve lightened up the dish by using lean ground turkey but kept it real saucy. The sweet, spicy sauce is the heart of this wrap with honey, gochujan (Korean red chili paste) and lots of garlic! Julienned carrots and cucumbers add crunch to the wrap and spring onions add a hint of spice.
The wrap is great to prep ahead of time and the ingredients can easily be packed separately for lunch. It can also be served taco bar style! Trying to keep a toddler busy while working from home has been a serious challenge. We’ve been getting Alivia to help us cook whenever possible. She loves to wash vegetables, tear lettuce (while snacking on them) and chop things with her wooded knife. This recipe has lots of toddler friendly prep!
To assemble the wrap as a main course, we started with a loonie sized ball of steamed white rice, added the vegetables, a tablespoon of cooked ground turkey and a teaspoon of sauce. As an appetizer, I would skip the rice and add more vegetables. Stephen and I have been using ground turkey more and more in Asian recipes and the protein just soaks up flavour, perfect for sauces and spices.
For other delicious recipes featuring turkey, visit www.ThinkTurkey.ca
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Turkey Farmers of Canada. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.
- 1/2 pound of ground turkey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 1/4 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 head of bibb lettuce
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 1 green onion, julienned
- 1/2 cucumber, julienned
- 2 cups of steamed white rice
- 1/4 cup kimchi
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- In a pot on low heat, combine the honey, brown sugar, gochujang, ketchup, soy sauce, minced garlic and sesame oil. Stir until the sugar dissolves and set aside.
- In a pan on high heat, add oil and stir fry the ground turkey until cooked through and brown (165 degrees F). Be sure to break apart the ground turkey as it cooks.
- Wash lettuce, prep vegetables and cook rice as per instructions.
- To assemble, use a leaf of lettuce as the wrap, fill with a loonie sized ball of rice, a few pieces of carrot, cucumber, kimchi (optional) and green onion. Add a tablespoon of cooked ground turkey and top with a generous teaspoon of sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of black sesame seeds.
- For the ground turkey, use a non-stick or well-seasoned pan as it is very lean and may stick.
- Romaine lettuce is also a great wrapper!
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