Lettuce for Wraps?

[Stopfat]

What kind of lettuce is good for using for wraps in phase one? Maybe I'm just nit-picking, but it's hard for me to use the lettuce as wraps.
Have you had good experience using other vegetables to replace bread products, like tortillas, crusts, and buns?

[OnMyWayDown]

I buy the romaine hearts and use a leaf of that. I find them fabulous but that's just my opinion. I find the best ones contain some grilled chicken a teeny bit of fresh salsa and cheese.

[Porthardygurl]

Buns = Portobello Mushroom sauteed lightly..makes a good hamburger bun
Crusts and bread = Focaccia flax bread(no flour, just flax..there is a good recipe posted on the recipes section) its phase 1 friendly!

Tortillas?? Not too sure about that one..

[fattymcfatty]

I'm not a south beacher, but I love butter lettuce, and I think it holds up well for wraps, bun replacement, etc.

[zeffryn]

I *love* swiss chard leaves for wraps. I use them on Phase 2 as well.

I often replace rice with either processed cauliflower (just pulse in a food processor until it resembles rice), or shredded cabbage.

Uh, buns...I usually just go without and eat a hamburger with a fork if I'm doing P1. two portabello mushrooms seems like a hefty portion in addition to the burger and toppings.

As far as the focaccia flax bread. Yes, it is P1 compliant, but in limited quantities. I believe that flax seed is limited to 2 T. per day, so I would keep your flax bread consumption to 1 serving.

Tortillas...eh...I can't really think of an actual substitute. I've made enchiladas before with chard instead of tortillas -- if you like greens, they are fabulous!

[Mmckellen]

Wow, enchiladas with chard instead of tortillas! I think I just found out what I'm making this weekend...do you have to devein or what?

[Stopfat]

Wow! So many great ideas. Thanks for sharing!

I'll try romaine or butter lettuce for the wraps--I used the outside leaf of an iceburg today, but I know the inside will not be so pliable.

I just got a portabella today with the intent of making a small pizza out of it, though I will have to watch the cheese. (There is no limit on low fat cheese, right? Not that I will go crazy on cheese.) It will be fun to try, and I was wondering if it needed to be sauteed a little first, this thread answered that question. I just realized that I can probably make a sauteed pizza, and just let the cheese melt while in the skillet.

The Chard enchiladas sound awesome! And I like the idea of the rice substituted with cauliflower because I love making sarma imitations, but it usually takes rice. Now I can try sarma with cauliflower.

I look forward to trying the flax bread after phase 1. Flax is so good for you.

[zeffryn]

matilda - yes, devein and just kind of wrap the filling up. it's kind of tricky, but gets easier the more you do. they don't hold up as well as tortillas would, but they are really yummy and phase 1 friendly!

[pointspluspioneer]

Boston lettuce is really good for wraps too. It usually comes in the form of a head and in a plastic container. It's a little smaller but works great!

[fozentusic]

Originally Posted by pointspluspioneer

Boston lettuce is really good for wraps too. It usually comes in the form of a head and in a plastic container. It's a little smaller but works great!

Agreed! This is my fave for lettuce wraps. Pliable yet doesn't fall apart. Just pack the filling separately and fill before you eat to avoid it getting soggy.

[CyndiM]

Originally Posted by Mmckellen

Wow, enchiladas with chard instead of tortillas! I think I just found out what I'm making this weekend...do you have to devein or what?

Me too! Another great idea from Zeff!

[EmmaD]

In addition to all the great ideas above, I often use the stiffer Romaine lettuce leaves like "boats" for tuna/salmon/shrimp/egg salad.

And thick cucumber rounds (can slice diagonally for more surface area) for those kinds of salads as well.

For pizza crusts, there are always the spaghetti squash or cauliflower options

Love the idea of chard (or even cabbage) enchiladas! Yum