Veggie & Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Hello again! This blog has officially made a come back. The last time we had a post here was sometime towards the end of last year and it's hard to believe several months have already gone by and we're now in the new year! Well, seeing as how it's a new year, what better time to tackle our resolutions than now? A big one of mine is to lose some weight and drop some pounds which I've accumulated over the years. Apparently GG also has the same goal so we're planning to refocus the content on this blog on healthy eating and weight loss management.

I recently joined the Weight Watchers program to try it out, having heard alot of good things about it from people I know over the years. This is only my second week and I'm still a newbie but I've found that their plan has been easy to follow and does not cause me to feel deprived. I've lost a few pounds in my first week and I'm very pleased overall with my progress and how I feel. Since I prefer to cook at home, I'll be sharing recipes that are WW friendly from now on.

I made this veggie and tofu lettuce wrap tonight for dinner and it turned out to be so delicious. The kids enjoyed it immensely, especially in putting their own wraps together. To make it even more filling, you can add abit of brown rice to your wraps. Just be sure to factor in the WW points for the brown rice too!

VEGGIE & TOFU LETTUCE WRAPS

Makes 6 servings; roughly 2 to 3 wraps per serving depending on how large you make it.

Weight Watchers Points+: 3 points per serving

Nutrition Info (per serving): 74 cal. / 11g carb / 2g fat / 5g protein

For the filling:

1/2 of a large globe eggplant (about two cups), diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

5 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted and diced

1 cup, canned water chestnuts, diced

7 grams extra firm tofu, diced

1 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. oyster sauce

2 tbsp. fresh chopped basil

1/4 cup water

For the wrap:

1 medium scallion stalk, chopped

1 medium head of iceberg lettuce, washed, leaves separated

Dollop of hoisin sauce (optional - please factor in added calories and WW points)

Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for a minute. Stir the garlic frequently so that it does not burn.

Add the mushrooms and saute for another minute. Add the eggplant, red bell pepper and water chestnuts. Stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the eggplant has softened. 

Add the oyster sauce, water, basil and tofu. Continue to stir fry until the ingredients have been coated by the sauce and the tofu is cooked through. 

Serve with the lettuce leaves. Top with chopped scallions and a small dollop of Hoisin sauce if you so desire.