Thai Chicken Salad Collard Wrap
November 13, 2017 by Nicole Collins
So, I just looked at the calendar and realized Thanksgiving is next week.
When did that happen?!?!?
All I can say is that I hope time keeps on flying by so that it can be spring again before I know it. Because, I am OVER this cold weather already!
You guys know I've been in total comfort food mode which has 100% been brought on by the chilly weather, but I figured we'd keep it healthy and low carb this week.
I mean, we're all a week and a half away from the kick off of “eat everything in sight” season, so the least I could do for you is set you up for success.
We're going to keep it kinda short and sweet today. I'm still recovering from the events of yesterday. Here's a quick recap...
While the pups and I were snuggling early yesterday morning, I felt a lump on the back of little Charlie's neck. I thought it was weird so I moved us to some better lighting to take a look at what it was. What I found was a little grey bubble that I had no idea what it was. It didn't look like a fatty bump like little Bella gets, but I couldn't imagine what it could be.
So, I did what anyone would do these days and took to the internet. I posted a pic on Facebook asking if anyone had ever seen anything like this. And within minutes, a friend of mine let me know that I had a tick situation.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
She talked me through removal and what to do with it. And, I was shaking like a leaf. And, poor little Charlie was freaked out, but only because I was freaked out! And then, as I was kissing and snuggling him and telling him he was ok, I FOUND ANOTHER ONE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
So, we repeated the removal and disposal process; I patted down little Bella to make sure she was all clear; I went outside in 40 degree weather to cut the grass hoping to pulverize any leftovers ticks that thought it was ok to set up shop in my yard and bite my babies; I gave everyone a bath (and a nail clipping while I was at it); and then we settled in with doggie cookies AND doggie bones (they'd earned it after the eventful day).
It was a happy ending though, because the pups got to switch in to their Christmas collars. I wouldn't say that the rest of the day's events were worth it, but we're all trying to find the silver lining here.
Ok, so maybe that wasn't a quick recap. But, it was a story worth telling.
I still have the heebie jeebies...
So, back to healthy eating. We're keeping it green this week, and we're starting out with Thai Chicken Salad Collard Wraps!
Have you guys tried making wraps with collard greens yet? It's soooooo good! It's a great low carb sammie option, because it's durable, it's hearty, and it's huge. That means...lots of filling! We just have to trim up the stem, blanch it for about 30 seconds in boiling hot water, and it's ready to roll...literally!
Speaking of filling, let's talk about our Thai Chicken Salad. We start by poaching some chicken breasts in a coconut milk/coconut water/fish sauce mix, and then we shred it up. Fish sauce is pretty stinky, but don't be scared. It adds a lot of great flavor! Then, we mix it with a tangy Thai greek yogurt mix of curry paste, peanut butter, and lime juice. Swapping out traditional mayo for greek yogurt makes this so light, full of protein, but still soooo full of flavor!
Finally, we finish stuffing our collard wraps with some red pepper, sugar snap peas, and cashews. All 3 of those things make sure to give us the ULTIMATE crunch factor! Woot Woot! Roll it all together like a burrito, and go to town.
So, that's a wrap for today! (← see what I did there!) Here's hoping for no more traumatic events this week!
Enjoy, and let's eat!
Thai Chicken Salad Collard Wraps Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Poached Chicken:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can (14 oz) lite coconut milk
1 can (17.6 oz) coconut water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
For the Chicken Salad:
¼ cup plain greek yogurt
½ tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp peanut butter
1 green onion, chopped
¼- ½ tsp salt (adjust to your taste)
For Serving:
4 collard green leaves
1 red pepper, julienne
½ cup sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup lightly salted cashews
boiling water
Directions:
Poach the Chicken: In a medium saucepan, heat chicken, coconut milk, coconut water, fish sauce, and say sauce over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 mins until chicken is cooked through. Remove from poaching liquid. When cool enough to handle, use your hands (or 2 forks) to shred the meat.
Make the Thai Chicken Salad: In mixing bowl, add greek yogurt, curry paste, lime juice, peanut butter, green onion, and ¼ tsp salt. Whisk to combine. Add shredded chicken, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and add additional salt, if desired.
Prepare the greens: Lay the collard green on a cutting board with the stem side up. Very carefully, run a sharp knife horizontally along the base of the stem, being careful not to cut the leaf, to flatten the surface. Place the leaves in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour boiling water over the leaves until they're covered. Let sit for 30 seconds, and remove from the dish. Pat dry with a paper towel.
To assemble: Lay one collard leaf on a flat surface. Take a quarter of the chicken salad and arrange on the bottom quarter of the leaf (closest to you). Top with ¼ of the red pepper, peas, and cashews. Fold the bottom of the leaf up over the filling, tuck in both sides, and continue rolling like a burrito. Cut in half. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*You can actually make this a make ahead meal. You can prepare and steam the collard greens in advance and store them wrapped in the fridge until you're ready to use them. Mine lasted about 4 days in the fridge.
*Fish sauce can be found in the Asian section of the grocery store. It's a little stinky, but don't give up on it. It adds lots of flavor!
*I like to shred chicken with my hands. It takes me back to my college days working in a deli, because that's how we did it. But, feel free to use 2 forks and pull in opposite directions to shred your chicken.
