Asian Turkey Wrap-all natural and gluten free

A lot of times when we venture out into the "healthy eating" world we look for foods that are clean but recreate the same old flavors we are addicted to eating. We look for the low carb pre-packaged food products or the low fat pre-made dinners that sit for months on end in the grocery store shelves--we do this simply because we have little knowledge on what healthy eating means. I know, I have seen it countless times with clients asking if eating carrots or onions are ok because they read somewhere on some tabloid which was selling the "fastest and easiest way to shed 30lbs in 30 days" that those carrots or ontions--or even tomatoes--were what was keeping them over weight. All that sugar in those--vegetables? Come on! My response is always the same--Have you ever met a person who is obese who can realistically state it is from eating too many vegetables? No--you have not and you never will.

So, recently I was watching "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerns" on TV, he was visiting Japan and eating some really interesting fare! I love that show--so I was looking at the people he was surrounded by and I thought to myself how no one there really even seemed to have much of a weight issue let alone appear obese. He was not in an impoverished area where food was hard to come by, they were dining on seafood and rice dishes in upper end restaurants even. The key was they were not eating any of the prepackaged garbage the FDA seems to prescribe to the American people as healthy choices. They were eating food closest to how it is found in nature. If we ourselves are a carbon life forms, just as animals are etc--why do we insist on putting into our body artificially created food "products" and expect good health to be the result? No, really--I am asking you to think about that right now--why? We are the obese carbon life forms--not the Squirells eating the nuts and berries--not the beast of the field allowed to roam and graze the way they were designed to be. In fact, house pets are fat--why? How are we feeding them? Chemically engineered food products--go say sorry to Rover.

In this respect we need to consider what we are eating--once again. Is the tomato pretty close to how it was created by nature? Yeah, usually--but that is a whole other article to rant about. The onion, the carrots, the potato and even the wild rice--all the way it was intended. Now, how about that sandwich wrap with an ingredient list 25 items long--but clearly labeled that it is "low fat, low carb, low calorie" low in benefits to your human body as well!

These thoughts were the long drawn out basis for the newest recipe I created. I went to my favorite Asian market and looked over their food items. I picked up a package of rice paper and read the ingredients: rice flour (just ground up rice) water, (as close to nature as we can get without drowning!) salt--perfect! Next I picked up some chutney-which means "to crush". This chutney was coconut and it listed: coconut meat (ok sans shell this is good!)hot peppers, spices. Perfect, again! So, with those 2 items I decided to try to make a sandwich we can prepare and keep in the fridge--for snacking or for work or travel, parties--you name it!



Asian Turkey Wrap
serves 1

3 ounces ground turkey breast
1 tbls Coconut Chutney
1 tbls Soy sauce
1/2 cup Red Cabbage
3 rice wraps

In a non-stick pan on medium high heat brown the ground turkey. Add in the chutney, soy saice and cabbage and cook for about another 5 minutes. You want crunch to the cabbage so don't over cook this.

Take the rice paper and place in warm water for about 30 seconds, the paper will become pliable and easy to roll. Place 1/3 of the turkey mixture into the center of the wrap, fold the left and rigt sides towards the middle and roll. Do this to all 3 wraps and allow place in the refrigerator. I ate mine cold. If you serve them right away they are a bit --weird. Spongy and gummy--however you can bake them in the oven for about 10 minutes to crisp up the rice paper. Again, I preferred mine cold because the flavors really married.

Calories Per Serving: 288
Carbohydrates: 29 grams
Fat: 7 grams
Protein: 26 grams

Other good ideas: You can easily switch out the flavor here to make it a totally different dish. Try cayenne pepper, cumin and salsa to replace the chutney and soy sauce.
These can make great party appetizers as well!

Stop trying to replace you comfort foods with artificial creations of food. Sometimes the best find is something you have never even tasted before! Think outside the FDA approved "food product "box"!