Yum – lettuce wraps! It’s summer and a time when I try to use the kitchen oven as little as possible and the grill as much as possible. It’s also a time when I enjoy lighter fare that can be whipped up in a flash. These lettuce wraps are easy to prepare and lets the whole gang participate in the final dish – fun! Don’t forego fixing this dish because you don’t have time to grill the Asian Whole Grilled Chicken, simply pick up a grilled chicken at the supermarket.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 pound Cremini mushrooms, sliced
• Thai Peanut Sauce (or 1 cup store-bought peanut sauce)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. Sriracha (hot sauce)
• 9-ounce package of fresh Chinese noodles (see notes section)
• 1 head of Boston Bibb lettuce, leaves removed and washed
• Asian Whole Grilled Chicken (or store-bought grilled chicken), cut into bite-size pieces

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 5 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine a cup of peanut sauce, the sesame oil and the Sriracha.
3. Boil the noodles according to package directions, drain and add to the peanut sauce in the bowl. Toss the noodles well with the peanut sauce to fully coat.
4. Add the onion and mushroom mixture to the noodles and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature. If the noodles cool down too much before serving, simply heat them up for 20 seconds in the microwave.
5. Give each person 2-3 lettuce leaves to use as wraps to contain the noodles and chicken. Extra peanut sauce can be used as additional dressing in the wraps.

Serves 4 people.

Notes:  You can find fresh Chinese noodles in the bagged salads section of your supermarket or at Asian markets.