Stir-Fry Beef Lettuce Wraps

So...it's the middle of the week, and I really need to get to the grocery store, but I'm too tired to get dressed and brave the cold weather. I started looking through the fridge to see what I could come up with for dinner. We make and freeze beans, so I had a large stash of black beans in the freezer as well as some stir-fry beef. We had left-over white rice from dinner the night before and some random veggies.  The first thing that came to mind was stir-fry, but I wanted to try something different. 

I had been browsing through Pinterest this past week and remembered seeing some recipes for lettuce wraps.  I decided that I would pull ideas from some of the more promising recipes and give these wraps a try.  I did some research and found that butter lettuce would be perfect for these wraps because it's a thicker lettuce that can hold food without becoming soggy, causing the lettuce to fall apart. Unfortunately, I didn't have any butter lettuce in the fridge so I batted my eyes, gave my hubby a kiss and a hug, and sweetly asked him if he could make a trip to the grocery store. It works every time. :-)

I don't have exact measurements of the ingredients used in this recipe because I pretty much winged it. Just use desired amounts of the ingredients listed or create your own wraps with items in your fridge. I added tzatziki sauce because I had made a batch for company and had some left over that I didn't want to waste. It ended up working out perfectly. It added some nice flavor, but I'm guessing sour cream would work just as well.  Lettuce wraps can be made with many different foods -- chicken, shrimp, tofu, and various veggies and sauces. Be creative! :-)

I would definitely make this again! It was delicious! I may even try a version with shrimp.

Stir-Fry Beef Lettuce Wraps 

Ingredients:

Butter Lettuce

White rice

Stir-fry beef

Olive oil

Mushrooms, chopped

Red bell pepper, chopped

Green pepper, chopped

Onion, chopped

Black beans

Orange peel

Salt & Pepper

Tzatziki sauce 

Directions:

1.) Cut off bottom of stems of lettuce, wash and pat dry. Set aside.

2.) Fry beef until cooked through. Set aside.

3.) In heated olive oil, sauté mushrooms, red bell pepper, green pepper, onion, and desired amounts of orange peel, salt, and pepper until soft.

4.) Add black beans to pan and cook until beans are warmed thoroughly.

5.) Add beef back into pan and mix well.

6.) Hold lettuce leaf in your hand in the shape of a taco shell. Add rice and fill with beef mixture. Top with tzatziki sauce and serve.