Asian Lettuce Wraps

A group of my co-workers decided a couple of weeks ago that it would be fun to do a crock-pot meal swap during lunch one day. Maybe if we all cooked some cooler weather food, the cooler weather would come. Not likely, but worth a shot! The idea was that we would each prepare a crock-pot meal at home, then bring it in to work to share with each other. I must say that it turned out great and we had a nice collection of dishes!! I brought these Asian Lettuce Wraps and the other girls brought: Pot Roast, Swiss Steak, Chicken Stroganoff, and a Cheese & Artichoke Dip. We each had a little sample of each dish and it was plenty to fill us up! The lettuce wraps were a huge hit!! I wonder what our next inspired swap will be??

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Source: Crock-pot.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds extra-lean ground chicken or turkey
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Asian chile paste
• 5 ounces bamboo shoots, canned and drained
• 12 ounces sliced water chestnuts, canned and drained
• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
• 4 green onions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 14 crisp iceberg lettuce leaves
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

Preparation

1. In the Crock-Pot® slow cooker, combine the chicken, onion, celery, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, chile paste, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
2. Cover; cook on Low 6 to 8 hours (or on High for 3 to 4 hours).
3. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, add the bean sprouts, green onions and cilantro. Mix thoroughly.
4. To serve, place 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on an iceberg lettuce leaf and drizzle with hoisin sauce. Roll the filled lettuce leaf into a pocket-style sandwich.