Thai Chicken Peanut Lettuce Wraps
These Thai Chicken Peanut Lettuce Wraps provide an abundance of the amino acid, L-Tyrosine. This was one of the libido boosting amino acids we chatted about in our Juicy Living Webinar last Monday (recording is available if you missed it!)
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They are necessary for building neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that have an impact on the mood and hormone regulation.
Eat foods with L-Tyrosine for…
- Lifting the Mood: L-Tyrosine acts as an anti-depressant by boosting dopamine levels.
- … stress can deplete L-Tyrosine which is why you might feel down and moody after a stressful week of work.
- Adrenal Support: replenishes hormone supply made by the adrenals like norepinephrine.
- Thyroid Health: your thyroid gland needs both L-Tyrosine and iodine to make thyroid hormone.
- Better Sex: Low levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine may diminish your zesty lust for intimacy. Dopamine increases blood flow which can result in more blood flow to the reproductive organs, enhancing orgasm and pleasure. So the libido literally starts with the brain.
Chicken is rich in the amino acid L-tyrosine, however there are other foods abundance in this amino acid:
- Plant Based: seaweed, pumpkin, avocado, banana, sesame seeds, spinach, kidney beans
- Non-Vegetarian: eggs, turkey, chicken, salmon
My Thai Chicken Peanut Lettuce Wraps are super flavorful and fun to eat!
Before cooking the ground chicken, the taco seasoning spices are stirred in to add additional flavor. Once cooked, the ground chicken and diced veggies are wrapped in lettuce leaves and served with a creamy peanut sauce on top. The peanut sauce can also be used for other dishes, such as pad thai or cabbage salad.
**Note: Scrolling through this blog you will find mostly plant-based recipes. Although the majority of my diet is made up of colorful, plant-based meals (my chef-ing background is in Raw Food Culinary : ), it was part of my own hormone health healing journey that I added in some meat and seafood after eight years of eating vegetarian and two years of eating mostly raw and vegan.
My intention for this blog is for it to be inclusive of all diets. So whether you eat animal protein or not, you will find a recipe here that is compatible with your current dietary needs whether it is Paleo, Raw Food, Vegetarian, Sugar-Free, or Grain-Free. However, all recipes are completely gluten-free and dairy-free, as these are top food sources contributing to food sensitivities and the intestinal health of the gut is absolutely necessary for hormone health.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4308793/
Gottfried, Sara. The Hormone Cure. New York: Scribner. 2013.
Chicken Peanut Lettuce Wraps
Serves: 7-8
Ingredients:
Ground Chicken:
1 Tablespoon oil, sesame, ghee
1 lb ground chicken
¾ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon cumin
Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
½ cup water
1 teaspoon ginger, chopped
1 small garlic cloves
1 teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt
Lettuce Wraps
7-8 large green or red leaf lettuce leaves
¾ cup red pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
¼ cup sprouts
Directions:
- Heat up oil over medium-low heat.
- In a bowl, thoroughly mix ground chicken, salt, and spices.
- Cook chicken with spices over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so it cooks evenly.
- Wash lettuce leaves and pat dry. Set aside on a plate.
- Meanwhile, prepare Peanut Sauce by blending all ingredients in a blender.
- Once ground chicken is done cooking, add chicken on top of the lettuce leaves.
- Top with a dollop of Peanut Sauce, red pepper, red onion, and sprouts.
