Colorful Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

I’ve been wanting to make lettuce wraps for a long time, so at last I cooked up a concoction to try them out!  Quinoa filled lettuce wraps make a fantastic light, protein packed meal. Great for summer lunch, it leaves you feeling satisfied but not heavy. Due to the raw lettuce, it’s not technically “perfect” for postpartum, but all ingredients are easily digestible, so if mom is open to a raw ingredient it can certainly work.  If not, it’s easy enough to replace the lettuce wrap with a more traditional flour or corn based wrap. (note: this makes the dish less allergy friendly)

Cook ahead (can be made several days in advance and refrigerated):
1C (dry) red quinoa
1C (dry) regular quinoa

Quinoa can be cooked on the stovetop or in a rice cooker – please see package for instructions.

Kidney Bean Paste:
16oz canned kidney beans
2tsp chives

Filling:
2T Sunflower Oil
1/4C leek (chopped)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
1.5C Protein of your choice – chopped (steak, chicken, tofu, temper)
Small handful of chopped Parsley
1 head of Iceberg Lettuce
Salt to taste

To make the kidney bean paste, simply put the beans and chives into a food processor with a little filtered water and blend until “pasty.” Feel free to add a little salt if needed. Set aside.

For the filling, heat the sunflower oil over medium-high heat and add the leek. Stir, cooking until soft (about 2-3 minutes). Add the celery. Cook for an additional minute. Add protein and cook until done (this depends on the protein). Add a two or three cups of cooked quinoa and continue stirring for a minute or two until everything is heated through and mixed well. Turn off the heat and mix in the parsley and salt.

For the wrap, peel off some leaves of iceberg lettuce and rinse. (Try to keep them in one piece!) Dry and set on a plate.

To assemble, spread a layer of bean paste on the inside of the lettuce leaf (keeps everything in place!), add some of the quinoa mixture, and wrap the leaf around. It can be handy to add another dollop of bean paste to help seal the wrap.

Serves 2-3

*Allergy friendly, low salicylate recipe.