Sep 06, 2018, Updated Aug 30, 2023 It rained recently for the first time in weeks. Naturally, I ran out and bought some comfy corduroy pants and a 10-pound bag of apples. Then, paradoxically, proceeded to make a hot-weather chicken lettuce wrap recipe for dinner. Although particularly appealing on a scorching-hot day, I think lettuce wraps are a delicious, healthy dinner for any season. You need some freshness to balance the cozy stews of the cooler months. Any leftovers can be wrapped up into flour tortillas for easy lunches the next day. The chicken is cooked in a sweet-spicy Thai sauce then shredded with two forks. Pile a large serving platter with fresh, crunchy vegetables and whole lettuce leaves. Iceberg lettuce is my favourite for its sturdiness, crunch and flavour, but green leaf or romaine will do the trick. Salty peanuts add another layer of flavour and texture. Let everyone build their own lettuce wraps at the table, just be sure to pile on the napkins, as it isn’t a super-tidy meal. Even little kids love this taco-esque, DIY-concept dinner. You’ll watch your toddlers inhale shredded carrot and radish like “whaaaaa?”. We had quite a heat wave this summer, and it’s truly the first time in my recent life that I’ve really experienced one. We’ve been in air-conditioned apartments for a decade, and now that we’re in a house, hoo boy it gets hot. I think it’s helped me embrace the cooler weather a bit less begrudgingly than in most years. You need the dark to see the light, am I right? I’m not quite ready to give up my rotation of big salads and grilled dinners but I’ll cling to them with one hand while the other is tossing apples with cinnamon and brown sugar.
