I admit—I’m having a blast testing email titles to see what compels people to open them. But aspiring writers take note: It’s HARD to write something compelling while getting your point across concisely. (Hence, the reason @twitter isn’t my go-to. ?) I know @katiecouric feels my pain on this one…when you start a newsletter it’s all about the “open rate!” So IF you’ve opened this, I have three points to convey:
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This Recipe for Chicken in Lettuce Cups is #amazing! My son Connor said, “If I’d known you could make these, I would have been asking for them once a week!” #weeknightstaple They happen to be good for us AND fast as all get-out to make, so we’re #winning. (I substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce, giving us an extra boost of nutrition while eliminating gluten.)
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I have been living without my cooktop for a few weeks—more on that later—and have been cooking solely on an induction cooktop and my grills. My focus has been one-dish meals, so I’ve been using my Hestan Nanobond 5 qt. Essential Pan almost every single night. In fact, if I could only have one pan for the rest of my life, it’d be this one. On Sunday, I made a double batch of this recipe and it was heavenly and so damn quick to make! The pan is big enough to hold a ton of food, but the shape is perfect for everything from stir-fries to risotto. If you don’t think you need a 5 qt., the 3.5 qt. version is awesome too!
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Now it’s about to pay if you kept reading! ?DISCOUNT TIME: If you click on my shopping page and enter the code “amanda-hestan” you’ll receive 10% OFF any Hestan Cookware! That’s right! 10% OFF on the best cookware I’ve ever owned. (You don’t need to understand the technology, but there are thousands of titanium-based layers bonded to stainless steel on top of an aluminum core, creating a pan that is beautiful, safe, and the most amazing conductor of heat. Don’t even get me started on the flush rivets that make the pans a cinch to clean and the most comfortable stay-cool handle on the planet.)
So what are you waiting for? Get cookin’ and head over to my amandahaascooks shopping page if you’re in need of a new piece of cookware!
I can’t wait to share more recipes with you as I exhale from this book launch. In the meantime, stay tuned as I’m off to New York next week to promote the book and be on real tv! I’ll let you know when and where, but get ready @CBS—The Vibrant Life is coming for you!
Chicken Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice plus more as needed, and lime wedges for serving
- 2 tsp fish sauce plus more as needed
- 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 large celery stalk finely diced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 green onions white and light green parts only, sliced, plus more for garnish
- 5 oz shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 lb ground chicken thigh meat
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 12 inner leaves iceberg or butter lettuce trimmed and chilled
- Black sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut aminos, lime juice, and fish sauce. In a large wok or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tbsp of the sesame oil. Add the celery and pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until the pine nuts are just starting to brown. Add the green onions and mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl, and return the pan to the stove.
- When the pan is very hot, add the remaining 1 Tbsp sesame oil. Add the chicken and a generous pinch of salt. Stir constantly, breaking up the meat with your spatula, until it’s barely cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, return the vegetable mixture to the pan, and pour in the coconut aminos mixture. Stir to coat. Taste, adding salt, fish sauce, or lime juice as needed. Stir in the chopped basil.
- Place a generous scoop of the chicken mixture inside each lettuce cup. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
