Since Brad loves Mexican food but is avoiding red meat and all things bread (anything carb-laden, really), I created these wonderful ground-turkey-filled-lettuce boats, and used traditional taco seasonings such as cumin, chili powder and paprika to help spice up the turkey.  Brad gave the dish two-thumbs up as well as a regular rotation on his new cardio-metabolic diet. That is a great thing, trust me!

You control the heat by using your desired amount of hot sauce and adding or omitting the sliced jalapeños. I used Romaine lettuce (before the national scare), but Bibb lettuce will work as well – just look for fairly big and sturdy leaves to hold all of the yummy fillings.

Ingredients (Makes about 10)

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup sweet onion, diced small
• 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• Seasoned salt, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish style paprika
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• ½ cup chicken broth
• Romaine or Bibb lettuce leaves

Optional toppings

• Cheddar cheese, grated
• Tomatoes, diced small
• Red onion, diced small
• Avocado, diced small
• Cilantro, chopped
• Light sour cream
• Fresh jalapeño, cut into thin slices

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet onion and sauté for 2 minutes or so. Add turkey and garlic. Season with salt and hot sauce.

Break up the turkey into small crumbles and cook for about 5 minutes, until turkey is browned throughout.

Drain any grease if necessary, return to skillet and stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, tomato sauce and chicken broth.

Reduce to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes, until sauce has thickened.

Let the turkey mixture cool for several minutes and then serve it over lettuce leaves with desired toppings. Serve with a yummy margarita and tortilla chips if your diet allows!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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