Dinners, Salads

Recipe—Thai Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

During the hot summer months my body craves lighter refreshing meals and I just hate running the oven when it is 105º outside. We eat a lot of salads and tacos to keep it quick and simple, but it is always fun to mix it up with some new flavors. 

I just absolutely LOVE this peanut sauce with all the other ingredients coming together. You have this flavor medley of peanuts, garlic, and ginger which are so good together and then you get this nice sweetness from the mangos and a little kick from the jalapeño, and that is all just in the sauce and toppings! Don’t forget about all those flavor packed veggies and shrimp in the layered in the lettuce cup too.

This recipe is incredibly versatile. While I myself enjoyed these as lettuce wraps, my husband and son had theirs in a flour tortilla as more of a fusion style taco (they like their carbs) but this would make an amazing entrée salad too if you just wanted to chop up the lettuce and use the sauce as a dressings. Either way, you will not be disappointed!

Note: These take less than 15 minutes to cook and assemble but there is a little bit of prep time needed to slice and dice all the veggies. If you have a busy week ahead, you can absolutely prep ahead of time by chopping up all the veggies and storing them in some sealed containers or bags.

PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp rice vinegar 
2 tsp coconut milk  
3 tbsp soy sauce 
2 tbsp honey 
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic, minced

SHRIMP LETTUCE WRAP INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil  
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 zucchini, julienned
1/4 c soy sauce
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tsp crushed red pepper  
1/2 tsp cumin 
1 jalapeños, seeded and sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 mango, diced
1 head butter leaf lettuce, leaves separated 

STEPS

  • In a small bowl whisk together all the peanut sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.
  • In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
  • Add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper to the skillet and cook until they begin to soften, about 3–4 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp, zucchini, and soy sauce to the skillet and cook until the shrimp are golden and almost cooked through, about 3–4 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic, ginger paste, crushed red pepper, and cumin and cook for another 1–2 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the stove top and set aside.
  • To prepare, scoop some of the vegetables into the lettuce cups and top with a few of the shrimp. 
  • Garnish with a couple of jalapeño slices, some green onions, and diced mangos and then drizzle with the peanut sauce.
  • Grab a napkin or three and enjoy!
Family Theme Nights

Family Theme Night—Tropical Beach Party

These days the week seems to drag on, and on, and on. So, to liven up our Friday nights and to give us something to look forward to, my family and I decided that every Friday will be a theme day. We did this last week and went with a tropical beach theme. It was so much fun! We all got decked out in our island attire, had piña coladas for happy hour (virgin ones for the youngster), cooked an awesome island dinner, and then watched Lilo and Stitch while sprawled out on beach towels in the living room.

Piña Colada

I thought you and your families may enjoy playing along with us. I hope you don’t mind me mixing it up a bit. Recipes will of course be a big part of the festivities.

Each week you will find a themed graphic with some inspiration for attire, movies, and some other fun touches you can do to create a special vibe. I will also include links to some theme based recipes to plan a menu around.

If you do participate in any of the theme nights please be sure to post your pics and tag me on Instagram @DivaDiCucina and use the hashtag #DivasThemeNight. I would love to see how you and your family incorporate any of the themes and put your own twist on them. Please also share any other ideas you have or links to other tropical themed recipes you enjoy in the comments below.

I hope you have as much fun with this as my family and I!

Family Theme Night—Tropical Beach PartyFamily Theme Night—Tropical Beach Party

FOOD IDEAS
Click on the name of the food item below to be directed to a page with that recipe. Please note some of these link to recipes shared by other awesome food bloggers which will redirect you to their sites.

Appetizers/Snacks
Mango Salsa
Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade
Easy Hawaiian Dip

Drinks
Blended Mango Margaritas
Summertime White Sangria
Piña Coladas
Rum Punch

Main Course
Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut
Shrimp Tacos
Homemade Fish Sticks and Tartar Sauce
Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Caribbean Baked Chicken with Mango
Grilled Hawaiian Chicken

Side Dishes
Tropical Macadamia Nut Rice
Mango and Bok Choy Salad
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
Tropical Fruit Salad

Dessert
Piña Colada Pie with Drunken Rum Sauce
Mini Key Lime Pies
Personal Pineapple Upside Down Cakes
Hawaiian Poke Cake

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Grilled PineappleHawaiian Grilled Chicken and Grilled Pineapple Over Macadamia Nut Rice

Salads

Recipe—Mango and Bok Choy Salad

My produce box was filled with lots of fabulous goodies this week. I had almost all the makings for a delicious tropical salad, bok choy, mango, and cilantro. Yum! While many recipes that include bok choy have you cook the leafy green it is also great for salads or slaws. Bok choy is light, sweet in flavor, and has a nice crisp texture. The nutritional value is also a huge plus. It’s high in Vitamins A, C, and K as well as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and it is low in calories. The dressing for this salad is sort of a citrusy vinaigrette that keeps the salad light and refreshing. This salad was the perfect cooling component for the spicy prawns I served with it. With all these bright colors I can’t help but think that this is the perfect dish for the coming spring and summer seasons.

Note: You can use a regular head of bok choy or about 4 baby boy choy. Baby book choy has a milder flavor but both will work well with this recipe.

INGREDIENTS
4 c bok choy, mostly greens with some stalks thinly sliced
1 1/2 c red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 mangos, diced
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp rice vinegar
4 tbsp limejuice
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt

STEPS

  • Combine the bok choy, cabbage, mango, celery, green onions, and cilantro in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the rice vinegar, limejuice, sugar, olive oil, soy sauce, and salt until most of the sugar and salt are dissolved.
  • Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.