Waldorf Lettuce Wraps

       About a year ago I was watching a Spanish food show that featured this recipe but it was made with pork tenderloins. Unfortunately, I did not write down the entire recipe and have searched everywhere for the actual recipe with no success. In any case I had to improvise on this recipe so I decided to make it with chicken and top it with my favorite dressing and Voila!



My family and I were very pleased with the results. I was still mourning the loss of wheat/ gluten in my life and a gluten free blog was only an idea in my head.  I still don't think I have fully recovered from my loss but I have accepted the inevitable....a gluten free life!  There is an upside to this gluten free lifestyle. First off, I would never have known what a "Jicama" was.  This recipe has all of the ingredients of a Waldorf salad but it also includes Jicama.  This is a root vegetable and looks like a hybrid between a potato and a brown turnip.  It has a mild, crisp texture like an apple or unripe pear. They are native to South America and Mexico and can grow as large as 6 lbs. It is a carb that is very high in fiber with a minuscule amount of fat. It is also a powerful antioxidant and anti-iinflammatory.




The taste is light and crunchy and the walnuts add a nice nutty flavor. I also added a zesty vinaigrette dressing that totally completed the dish.  I did the calorie count on this and without the dressing it is a total of 4 points!  OK, so add another point for a teaspoon of my Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette sauce....it's worth it. The recipe is on my blog.

Waldorf Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 large Jicama (julienned)
• 1 large crispy apple Julienned  (gala is good )
• 1/4 cup lemon, fresh squeezed
• 1 Boston lettuce,head (trimmed, washed & dried)
• 1 lb skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp adobo
• 2 celery stalks
• 1small apple (chopped)
• 1 cup red seedless grapes/halved 
• 1tbsp vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste 

Salsa Nogada / Walnut Sauce  

Ingredients:

• 1/4 walnuts (halved)
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
• 1/2 tbsp mayonnaise (low fat)
• salt & pepper to taste   

Preparation:  In a bowl mix the raw Julienne jicama and apple together and pour the lemon juice over it, add salt and pepper to taste. Heat skillet and add oil . Cut your skinless chicken into strips and season with the adobo.  Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Add a little water if necessary and add the grapes, chopped apple, and the celery. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

In a blender, add sour cream, walnuts, milk, mayonnaise and  lemon zest and blend. It will look like cool whip

Now you're ready to make your lettuce wraps. On a leaf of lettuce , add your chicken, add your Jicama, add your salsa Nogada and top with the spicy cilantro sauce. Buen provecho!