Lettuce Wrap Salad with Three Sauces

This Lettuce Wrap Salad is satisfying and quick to make, and the three different sauces that are served with it make this recipe extra tasty. Recipe contributed by Mimi Kirk, from Live Raw: Raw Food Recipes for Good Health and Timeless Beauty (Skyhorse Publishing, 2011). Photo by Mike Mendell. Reprinted by permission.

Lettuce Wrap Salad

Serves: 2 to 3

Ingredients

1 ½ cups jícama, finely chopped
1 ½ cups shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
¾ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
½ cup Chinese pea pods (snow peas), finely sliced
3 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 head butter lettuce leaves
½ cup mint leaves
½ bunch cilantro, with stems

Instructions

Wash lettuce leaves and wrap in paper or kitchen towels. Place in refrigerator to chill and crisp.
Marinate chopped vegetables except lettuce, mint, and cilantro, in oil and tamari for 10 minutes.
To serve: Place filling on plate and serve lettuce leaves, cilantro, and mint on a separate plate. Make wrap by placing filling on a butter lettuce leaf, along with a piece of mint, cilantro leaves, and a drizzle each of the peanut, cilantro, and tamari sauces.

Filling can be served warm or cold. I like it warm especially with crisp chilled lettuce leaves.

Tip: Place ingredients in dehydrator at 110 degrees for 1 hour to warm and slightly soften vegetables.

Three Sauces:

Make 3 dipping sauces, which can be used for any wrap.

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

¼ cup raw peanut butter or raw almond butter
1 garlic clove, minced or crushed
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp agave nectar
3 tbsp tamari or nama shoyu
3 tbsp water or as needed to desired texture
2 tsp grated ginger or pinch of powdered ginger
pinch crushed red pepper flakes to taste; or for a spicier version, add finely chopped serrano chili

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, whisk together nut butter, garlic, lime juice, agave nectar, tamari, water, ginger, red pepper flakes. Mix until smooth, adding water as needed to reach pourable consistency.