Southwest lightens up with lettuce wraps

I’m always on the look out for low-fat and low-carb recipes that my family will love.  This recipe for Southwest Lettuce Wraps is just the ticket!  I simply took the filling for the Southwest Spring Rolls that I plan to serve at my Super Bowl party and and wrapped it in lettuce cups.  That way, I don’t have to make one recipe for my family and one recipe for me.  Nothing takes the motivation out of dieting faster that having to cook two meals!

Southwest flavors are a great way to lighten up your meals.  The flavors add a spicy, fresh taste and the lettuce cups add that little crunch everyone craves when dieting.

Just about any Southwest filling will go in a lettuce wrap.  If you can fill a taco with it, you can put it in a lettuce cup: pork carnitas, carne asada, chicken fajitas……….

Here is a repeat of the Chicken with Black Bean Salsa recipe that I used for the spring rolls.  I just add a little pico de gallo, fresh avocado and crema to the lettuce wrap to add some freshness, but that is optional.

Chicken with Black Bean Salsa

4 chicken breasts
2 tomatoes, diced
1 ear fresh corn or 1 cup frozen kernels
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Grill or roast (a grill pan works well for this and saves a lot of  time).  Remove skin from chicken and dice.

Toss together tomato, corn, black beans, onion, jalepeno and garlic.  Add chicken.

Avocado Pico de Gallo

1 large tomato
1/2 onion

1 avocado

1/4 cup cilantro

1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely diced (optional)

1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste.

Dice tomato, onion, avocado and jalepeno. Mince cilantro.  Toss together and add the juice of one lime.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Here are the websites for the links mentioned above.  The recipes look really great as well as light and healthy!

Carnitas, Houston Style: Lisa @The Homesick Texan

Carne Asada: Anne- Marie @ This Momma Cooks

Chicken Fajitas: Kristen @ Cheap, Healthy, Good

— posted by Sandy