Woznation

Hello, my name is Amy. And I am a food network junkie.

There I said it.  Though I am a bit ashamed to admit it, the food network actually taught me quite a bit about cooking.  I first started watching in grad school (basically when my meal plan from my parents ran out) and I could barely fry an egg.  Phil was actually the primary chef when I first got to Purdue; he taught me how to make hamburger helper.  After watching food network for a little while – I finally got the confidence to try and cook a few things for myself.  Im proud to say Ive come a long way over the years.  And I make a damn good fried egg.

The chipotle maple lettuce wraps are a spin-off of Rachel Ray’s Chipotle Cashew Chicken from like 2006.  It was an instant hit and has been a staple in our house from Purdue to Memphis to Jerz.  The meal varies each time I make it due to what is in my pantry and freezer, but the overall chipotle-maple flavor stays the same.  This is what I used the last time I made it:

Boston bibb lettuce, some red beans (instead of chicken), 2 peppers, brown rice, a small can of water chestnuts, maple syrup, chipotles in adobo sauce, walnuts (instead of cashews), garlic, cumin and onion power.

Since Im using brown rice and it takes awhile to cook, I get that started first.  I cook up about 3/4 cup of brown rice according to package directions.  Then I get started on the maple-chipotle filling.  First, I diced up the 2 peppers.  This was about 2 cups worth.

I toss those in the skillet with some oil to saute and add in my spices.

I used about 3/4 tsp of onion powder and 1/2 tsp of cumin.  But feel free to just use regular ol’ onions in your filling, too.  Phil isnt a fan, so I try to make a few of his favorite meals ‘onion free.’  Saute the peppers for 4-5 minutes on medium-low heat and them add in some garlic. About 2-3 cloves.  You can also add a bit of salt at this point, too.  But I wouldnt recommended pepper since you are getting so much heat from the chipotles later on.

Then I get started on my chipotles.  Chipotles are just smoked jalapeños. [How comes wordpress auto-corrects my jalapeños to have an ñ but doesn’t recognize the word chipotle?] They come in a small can in the ethnic aisle.  I only use about 3 tablespoons of chipotles minced up, so I put the remainder of the can into a bag and keep it in my freezer.  Therefore, my chiptoles look like this:

Its actually way easier to deal with them in this state than fresh out of the can.  I hate it when I have to make this meal with a fresh can, it can get very messy.  Regardless of if you are using frozen or canned chipotles, youll want to make sure you wash your hands as soon as you are done handling them!  They are jalapeños after all.   So anyway,  I mince up about 3 tablespoons of chipotles and toss them in the skillet.

Then I get to work on my pantry items.  The beans, water chestnuts, and walnuts.  I only used about half a can of beans this time.  I had red on hand, but Ive used black before, and the originally recipe called for chicken. Use whatever you what.  I rinse the water chestnuts (8oz can) and the beans and then toss everything into the pan.

Lastly, I thrown in 1/3 cup of maple syrup.  I didnt get any pictures of this process, but I assure you its in there.

Now dont forget about your rice!

Mine is usually done by now, but I check on it periodically.  Hopefully you did, too.  Once its done, I put it into a bowl and set aside until the rest of the meal is ready.  As I let the maple-chipotle simmer on low and cook all together,  I prepare the lettuce.  The boston bibb is an essential part of the ‘lettuce wrap.’  Its the only lettuce that is malleable for the nice little packages.  I have used romaine for this meal before but it makes more of a lettuce boat than a lettuce wrap.  So anyway, I tear off pieces and run a damp cloth over them to make sure they are clean enough for consumption.

Once the lettuce is ready, I put the maple-chipotle filling in a bowl and we are ready for dinner!  I fill each lettuce leaf up with some rice and filling and have plenty of paper towels standing by! They are messy!

Good stuff.  Make sure you have plenty of water, too.  They are sweet but very spicy!!!  Here is an easy copy/paste version of the recipe:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of brown rice

1 head of boston bibb lettuce

2 cups of diced bell peppers

2-3 cloves of garlic

8 oz of sliced water chestnuts

1/4 cup of cashews or walnuts

1/2 can of beans (or maybe 1 chicken breast?)

3 tablespoons of chipotles in adobo

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp onion powder

Cook rice according to package.  When done, place in bowl and set aside.  Saute up 2 cups of diced bell peppers in large skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.  Add in 3/4 tsp of onion powder and 1/2 tsp of cumin.  Add in 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. Reduce heat to low.  Add in 3 tablespoons of minced chipotles. Rinse beans and water chestnuts, add to skillet.  Add in nuts and maple syrup.  Simmer all together on low for 5-10 minutes until mix is nice and gooey and delicious (and peppers are cooked to your liking).  Peel off individual lettuce leaves, use damp cloth to ensure they are clean.  Place chipotle-maple filing in bowl.  Assemble each lettuce wrap with a bit of rice and filling.  Enjoy!