Tonight for dinner my man and I whipped up some lettuce wraps. We used a recipe from America's Test Kitchen's Fast & Fresh Recipe Card Collection, which is basically a cookbook full of pull out recipe cards, as a starting place and of course, tweaked it a bit.
Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 head iceberg lettuce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
splash of rice wine vinegar
splash of sesame oil
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp Sriracha
6 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 tsp + 2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 lb ground chicken
1/2 lb shrimp, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped fine
5 scallions, chopped
crispy chow mein noodles (optional)
Wisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and water in a small bowl and set aside. Combine garlic, ginger, and 2 tsp oil in a different small bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in large non-stick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, stirring to break up chunks, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add minced shrimp, stirring to mix with the chicken and continue cooking 1-2 minutes, until shrimp is opaque. Season with salt & pepper and remove from pan.
Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the pan or wok and add bell pepper, cooking about 1 minute. Add water chestnuts and scallions and continue cooking 2-3 minutes longer, until peppers have softened. Clear a spot in the center of the pan or wok, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cooked chicken/shrimp mix and sauce to pan or wok and cook until sauce has thickened, about 1 minute.
Remove bowl-shaped leaves from the head of lettuce and fill with a spoonful of the mixture. Top with chow mein noodles and Sriracha, both optional, and eat.
Tasty! This was a great, quick weeknight meal that we will definitely make again. I can also easily imagine using this filling with some mu shu pancakes. Unfortunately I wasn't able to snap any pics before this meal disappeared.
Notes for next time: My man thinks there was a flavor element missing but can't put his finger on it. He also things a little peanut topping would be nice.
Today is a solemn day for my husband’s family. They are mourning the loss of their grandfather, father, great-grandfather and husband – a strong and caring man. They are also celebrating his life, his love, his sense of humor and a legacy that I hope will provide them with some comfort. 
