Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

If you like P.F. Changs, 

or Panda Express

or Mongolian Barbeque

or Seattle's Best Chinese Food

or China in general,

You will love this.

QUINOA LETTUCE WRAPS

For the quinoa

1 c quinoa
3 c water

Soak the quinoa covered in a bowl or water for about 15 minutes, then rinse.
Put the wet quinoa in a saucepan and add 3 c water.
I like the cook my quinoa with lots of extra water.
Bring it to a boil and let it boil for about 8 minutes.
Then you will drain out the water.
If you have a very fine collander then you are set.
If not, good luck.
Set this aside.

- MEANWHILE -

For the Special Sauce

1/4 c sugar
1/2 c water
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp garlic
1-2 tsp Sriracha HOT chili sauce*

*{it's in the chinese food aisle at the store; big rooster on the front}

Dissolve the sugar in the water.
Add everything else EXCEPT the hot sauce.
Whisk together very well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Right before serving, add the hot sauce according to your tolerance.
A little heat goes a LONG way. Be warned.

- MEANWHILE -

for the Stir-Fry

1 c {two cans} water chestnuts
2/3 c fresh mushrooms
3 T onion
1 T garlic

2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Mince the chestnuts, mushrooms, onion and garlic to the size of small peas.
Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice wine vinegar.
In a heated oiled wok {or a frying pan} add the minced veggies with the sauce.
Saute until heated through.
Add the cooked quinoa and heat through.

- MEANWHILE -

for the Lettuce

2 heads of iceberg lettuce {or Boston Butter lettuce, or Romaine}

Slice off the weird stem on the end.
Slowly peel off the leaves one by one and wash.
I buy two heads because this part is tricky and you want some extras.
The middle leaves are the size I like, not too big, not too small.
But I put them all on a platter for everyone to choose which they want.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Fill the lettuce leaves with the quinoa, mushroom, and water chestnut mixture.
Drizzle the top with lots of the special sauce, that's what makes this recipe for me.

Roll it up and eat about a dozen because they are amazingly good for you.

Although this recipe only feeds about four people.
Well, Me, my husband and two toddlers.
But my four year old usually has about three of them by himself.

It's great with a side of rice or chow mein.
You can use chicken chunks or ground turkey if you like.
But Quinoa is the best.