Lettuce Wraps a la P.F. Chang's

With P.F. Chang's in walking distance from our apartment, it's always tempting to go get my favorite dish, their chicken lettuce wraps. Unfortunately, going out to eat all the time is not cheap, and it's usually not healthy, so I came up with this alternative.

Lettuce Wraps
makes 4 servings

1 lb of ground chicken or pork
1 large onion, diced
1 can of water chestnuts, diced
2 handfuls of bean sprouts, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup orange juice

1 head of iceberg lettuce

Scramble 3 eggs in a lightly oiled pan. Remove from the pan and set aside in another dish.
Saute diced onions the pan until softened. Add ground meat and cook on high heat until fully cooked, mixing constantly. Add diced water chestnuts, chopped bean sprouts, and cooked eggs, mixing constantly until thoroughly heated. Add soy sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, and orange juice to mixture. At the last minute, add sesame oil.
Cut head of lettuce in half, and separate leaves. Serve meat mixture with lettuce cups (and if you have it, some Sriracha).

Mongolian Beef and Broccoli

This beef and broccoli is better than take out! It is very easy to prepare, taking only about 20 minutes total, including prep time. Serve it with rice, and some sriracha for some heat.


Mongolian Beef and Broccoli

makes 4 servings
  
1 pound flank steak or other thinly sliced cut of beef

1/4 cup of flour or cornstarch

3 teaspoons of canola oil

1/2 tablespoon of chopped ginger

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 crowns of broccoli, separated into florets

Pat the steak slices dry and then mix them with the flour/cornstarch, making sure all pieces are coated, and then shaking off any excess.

Heat half of the oil in a large wok or frying pan at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later. 

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook until browned. Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Add the broccoli florets and allow sauce to slightly thicken.

Serve hot with rice.