Thai Chicken Wraps

I love the flavors in Asian cooking.  So when I am motivated to make something quick and easy, and levitate towards cooking Asian faire.  

This is a dish I made on a hot summer day, that I knew we needed something flavorful and light.  

Typically this would be served in lettuce cups, but I opted to switch it up to a tortilla wrap.

Thai Chicken Wraps

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1 cup cabbage shredded or coleslaw mix
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)
• 5 leaves basil, chopped
• 4-6 tortillas

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat until oil is very hot. Add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink and starts to brown, break it up with a wooden spoon as necessary. Should take about 3 minutes.
2. Add red curry paste, ginger, garlic, peppers, coleslaw mix, and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Add hoisin sauce and green onions, and toss. Remove from heat then add basil and toss.Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl.
3. Alternatively, place a tortilla on a cutting surface, place a cup or so of the mixture in the center of the tortilla, and fold both ends in, and roll to make a burrito style wrap.  We also added a small about of rice.  Cut in half, and serve

   

Caprese Baguette

Caprese Baguette

                                                    

In the northwest, recently we've been under a heat wave. Ok, so for me a heat wave is any temp over 70° for more than 2 or 3 days….. So, I've been having trouble finding “heat-proof” dinners, from items on the grill to cold dinner that require very little actual cooking (meaning not turning on the stove).

One of my favorite things ever is Caprese salad, or Insalata Caprese, literally meaning "Salad of Capri" is a simple salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, seasoned with salt, black pepper and olive oil. It was made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green. In Italy, it is usually served as an antipasto, or starter, not a side dish unlike most salads. 

I know, I know, you're thinking…”but Bob, you hate tomatoes”. And you'd be right to think that, because I really to dislike fresh tomatoes, not that I don't want to like them, there's just a taste…metallic…gardeny…I can't describe.  Now cook em, and I'm like a fat kid with cake. It's just the raw version that it don't like.

So what do you do? LIGHTBULB!  Substitute cucumbers! 

Here's how this all came about…..I wanted a cool dinner sandwich.  What better than to “brown” a baguette on the grill, slice mozzarella, tomato (for Craig), cucumber and basil, put it all together for a delicious and easy dinner.

Caprese Baguette

1 baguette (I used a par baked or brown and serve loaf)

1 large tomato, sliced

1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced

15-20 leaves of basil, julienned

Balsamic vinegar (I had a glaze that I used)

Olive Oil, to brush on the bread

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut baguette into thirds, and slice in half.

Lightly brush with olive oil,

Place slices of tomato on bread, or cucumbers for tomato haters,

Place mozzarella on vegetables,

Drizzle vinegar on mozzarella,

Sprinkle salt and pepper on top and place the top on the bread back on.

Serve and enjoy!

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad Wrap

A few weeks ago, I came across a story about a guy living abroad, and being a foodie, all the troubles that he had with food throughout the asian country where he lived. He spoke about bleaching the vegetables, yes actually bleaching his vegetables to vid it of the “bad” bacteria that had made him sick when he hadn't “bleached”. 

Anyhow, the recipe below is a variation of the recipe he made in his blog.  When I saw the picture, all I could think of was putting it in a wrap.  Craig suggested it the future, maybe put it in a rice paper wrap.  The tortillas I put it in were a bit much, but it was my first attempt, and I’ll be making it again!!

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad Wrap 

Serves: 4-6 

Ingredients

 

Salad 

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

1 small head green or white cabbage (2 cups shredded) 

1 large carrot (1½ cups shredded) 

1 green papaya (1½ cups shredded) 

½ cup fresh cilantro 

½ cup green onions 

½ cup chopped peanuts

Dressing 

2 cloves garlic 

1 tablespoons garlic chili paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 

1 tablespoon sesame oil 

½ teaspoon fish sauce 

¼ cup peanut butter 

1 four tortilla for each wrap

Instruction:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove from heat, drain water, let cool, and shred with two forks.  (Or barbecue the chicken breasts and dice them)

Chop the cabbage into very thin pieces, like it would be for coleslaw. I did this by rolling up several leaves together and making thin vertical slices across the roll and then chopping them once horizontally. Peel and grate the carrots. Cut off the skin, remove the seeds, and grate the papaya. Roughly chop the cilantro and green onions. Toss the chicken and vegetables in a large bowl and keep chilled. Mince the garlic and chili peppers. Place garlic and peppers in a small mixing bowl with the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, lime juice, oil, and fish sauce. Whisk until smooth. Add the peanut butter and water and whisk again until smooth and creamy. Toss the salad with the dressing. Add the crushed peanuts. Serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to one day. For best results, keep the leftover salad and dressing separate until ready to serve. Place about ¼ cup of the mixture in the tortilla, and wrap like a burrito.