Thai Style Spicy Chicken Lettuce Tacos

Serve this healthy dish with plain boiled vermicelli noodles, a small saucer with fish sauce and a bottle of chili garlic paste to round out the meal.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 Thai chilies, optional
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 medium shallots
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1 Japanese cucumber
• 1 tbsp fish sauce or 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, shells and skins removed
• 1 head bib lettuce

Directions:

Chop uncooked chicken into small pieces and combine with Thai chilies, ginger, garlic and 1 peeled and lightly chopped shallot in a food processor. Add fish sauce or salt. Process until all ingredients are combined and mixture looks like a thick paste. In a medium skillet, heat sesame and vegetable oil together. Add chicken mixture and saute until completely cooked, about 7 minutes. Taste for saltiness, adding more if necessary. Remove from heat and let cool. Quarter and julienne cucumber and set into a large mixing bowl. Trim large stems from cilantro, remove all stems from mint and add to bowl with cucumber. Julienne remaining shallot and add to bowl with herbs and cucumbers, also adding bean sprouts. Gently crush peanuts in a resealable bag using a rolling pin or food mallet. Add crushed peanuts to salad mixture. When chicken has cooled, add to salad. Separate, rinse and pat dry lettuce leaves. Use as taco shells for chicken and salad mixture. Its delicious as is, or can be topped with a spicy peanut sauce.

Number of Servings: 4