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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Thai Beef Cabbage Cups

Is it happens, Mr Pears and I both managed to gain a few LB's in Hawaii.  It could have been the breakfast buffet which was included with our room reservation, but I'm guessing it was all those drinks in the plastic pineapples.  Oops. 

So in an effort to eat a bit more low-calorie dinners for a while, I made these Thai beef cups the other night.  Of course lettuce wraps are so popular so I was kind of surprised (and maybe a little skeptical) of using cabbage instead.  I was pleasantly surprised.  These were light, but very tasty with a little kick and a lot of crunch.  Great texture and flavor.  Not only that but according to the recipe each serving is only 292 calories.  The recipe says this is four servings but it made a good dinner for the two of us, with no other sides.  And under 600 calories for dinner?  That is pretty good in my book.


Thai Beef Cabbage Cups, adapted from Cooking Light
2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground sirloin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste!)
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onions
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
8 large green cabbage leaves
2 tablespoon unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and then cook the garlic and ginger for a bout 1 minute.  Add the meat and cook until browned through. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining sesame oil, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, water and red pepper.  Toss in the meat, onions, cilantro and peanuts and stir to combine.  Serve on top of the cabbage leaves. 

We didn't serve these to the kids because of time issues, but next time we will probably cut out the red pepper so they can have some.  One recipe reviewer claimed she did that for her own kids and then just had some sliced fresh jalapenos for herself and her husband, which I think is a great idea for us too.

Happy, Healthy, Eating!

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