Lettuce Cups With Stir-Fried Turkey

Here is a tasty little meal that my husband Kelly made a few nights ago. He often  complains that I don't give him enough credit in my little blog and so I will admit that he prepared this whole thing himself. I sat on the sidelines and drank a beer, watched hockey, snapped a few photos and kept our super active baby from chewing on electrical wires and bumping his little head out of mischief.

This recipe is meant to be served as an appetizer but we found it made a super tasty, light dinner for two. The actual recipe called for ground chicken but Kelly used ground dark turkey meat which we both thought worked really well with the asian flavours. The taste of fresh shiitake mushrooms combined with ginger, roasted cashews and sweet chili sauce was absolutely to die for. Amazing job Kelly.

*Tip Use any extra marinated turkey mixture for a stir-fry the next night.

Lettuce Cups with Stir-Fried Turkey (8 appetizer servings or 2 meal servings)
adapted from bon appetit June 2011

16 large butter lettuce leaves
1/2 cup asian sweet chili sauce
1 lb ground dark turkey meat
2 scallions, minced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
3 medium shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. peeled minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup unsalted, chopped roasted cashews

Arrange lettuce leaves on a large platter. Pour chili sauce into a small bowl. Mix turkey, scallions, soy sauce and cornstarch in a medium bowl; marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature, stirring occasionally. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Add mushrooms and stir-fry 15 seconds. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add turkey mixture and cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Spoon turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, dividing equally. Garnish with cashews. Roll leaves around filling and dip into chili sauce.