Leftovers: Swiss Chard Lettuce Wraps

This is not a typical recipe post, y'all- it's more of a forgotten menu item that I wanted to throw out there for you guys to have more lunch and dinner options.

As I've said before, I'm a big fan of "upcycling" dishes so that I can try to minimize food waste and give new flavor twists to food items so it doesn't feel like I'm having the same old chicken and quinoa three days in a row.

Growing up in a homecooking-heavy Korean household, I ate a lot of what we call "ssam" growing up. Traditionally with Korean BBQ, you fold a little rice, BBQ beef, veggies, and sauces into a big red lettuce leaf and eat it as kind of a lettuce burrito, if you will.

Good lettuce wraps are all about combining a protein, some grain, and some veggies.

But you really can just about do anything in these guys- you can go sans grain if you're watching your carb intake, or swap out tofu/tempeh if you're not a meat eater. Get creative!

This is such a healthy option for those of you trying to stay away from processed carb-y breads, tortillas, etc. Great option for gluten-free conscious folk.

Simply use some delicious leafy greens as your "wrap" and you're good to go. You can use kale, red leaf lettuce, romaine, rainbow/swiss chard, or whatever else you like. My favorite lately is the red swiss chard I used here- it's big, it's flavorful, and it isn't too delicate so it won't tear easily when holding other foods. Swiss chard has a ridiculous amount of vitamin K and is a solid source of magnesium as well. Every leaf has 2g of carbs and 1g of protein- not too shabby protein content for a green!

For instance, in my wraps for this post, I kept things really simple and just to the leftovers I had in my fridge.

I've been recipe-testing grilled jerk chicken (recipe to come soon!) so I had some chicken breasts leftover, tricolor quinoa was my grain I had cooked up for the week in my fridge, and I had the spicy garlicky tahini leftover from making it for my roasted cauliflower & quinoa salad. I topped it with some sliced winter radishes, and added some spice with my favorite store-bought harissa sauce from Mina (promise I don't like it just because of the uncanny name!). 

Hope this adds another dinner idea to your repertoire!