Turkey and Mushroom Lettuce Wrap

With Thanksgiving coming up soon I tend to gradually get more and more in the mood for turkey. Many of the ranchers at the Rice Village and Heights Mercantile Farmers Markets sell turkey throughout the year, but really gear up for the holiday season to meet demand. I’ve also been meaning to find a use for the salsa macha I have from Lolita Speciality Foods. Thus, this little riff on a beef lettuce wrap was born!

I decided to use turkey in place of beef and bring the heat and spice from the salsa macha, rather than a fan favorite Sambal Olek. Bringing in the mushrooms also adds a lovely bit of umami that I really loved in the finished dish! These changes definitely skew the familiar flavor profile of a beef lettuce wrap, but in my humble opinion, it does it in all the right ways! Keep reading if you’re looking for a flavorful and easy meal to add to your rotation.

I realized that farmers market products are not accesible for everyone. Whether you simply don’t have one nearby, or the price of some of the products makes sourcing all of your groceries there unattainable, shopping locally sourced products is not the easiest feat to take on.

If you are looking to sub in a few local items in your normal grocery haul, I would definitely recommend starting with your meat. Eating responsibly raised meat products that center around a regenerative model is an amazing way to support your own health. From heatlhy soil, comes healthy plants, and subsequently healthy animals who are fed in this system.

Check out vendors at our Houston farmers markets like Regen Ranch, Synergos Farms, and Erbe Ranch who are absolute powerhouse ranchers and farmers. If you aren’t in Houston, take a few minutes to chat with a rancher if you can and learn just how much they focus on the health of their animals. I guarantee you’ll be blown away!

Here’s a run down of the lovely vendors you can source from to create this recipe!

• Erbe Ranch is a family owned farm located in Cat Spring, Texas raising grass-fed beef, pastured poultry and pastured pork. The property has been in Farmer Brian’s family for over one hundred thirty five years.

• Regen Ranch is a woman owned and run ranch in Oakwood, Texas. With the goal of providing clean food, Christine sells grass fed beef & lamb, pasture raised turkey, and farm fresh eggs.

• Synergos Farms is a thriving healthy farm community, synergistically growing food, allowing all things to grow naturally. Located in Santa Fe, Texas, Synergos focuses on regenerative practices that support healthy soil, plants, and animals.

• Lolita Specialty Foods wanted to provide a high-quality specialty sauce that you can add or mix with your food. Wanting to hit on the diversity in Houston, Lolita has refined their sauces for different palates. They now sell 4 core flavors to spice up every meal.

• Wood Duck is an 87 acre farm, located in Cleveland, Texas. They have a thriving CSA program and have been providing healthy produce to the community for years. Wood Duck is actually in the process of fighting a proposed landfill in San Jacinto County, visit this website to learn more about how you can help!

• Plant it Forward works with independent, professional farmers with refugee backgrounds to grow and distribute fresh produce throughout the community. At our market locations we work with farmer Materanya “Pierre” Ruchinagiza, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each market he brings delicious vegetables and good conversation. He’s an amazing asset to the markets and his farming knowledge is invaluable!

• Animal Farm is a working, sustainable permaculture center located 65 miles west of Houston. They are dedicated to producing high quality certified organic vegetables and flowers. They sell at our markets, but also have a wonderful CSA program!

• Verde Greens located in Houston, Texas, uses a combination of hydroponic and no-till soil cultivation methods to produce healthy, nutritious, pesticide- and herbicide-free leafy greens, herbs, and mixed vegetables for the community.

• Sweetwater Farms HTX is a family-owned, urban farm located in Houston, Texas. They are 7 minutes from the loop in the middle of a food desert. It sits on 6 acres of land and is primarily used to teach inner city youth about agriculture through its partnership with TWEF. We grow some of the freshest seasonal veggies! Farm visits are reservation are only!

Ingredients

* indicates item purchased at the farmers market

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

*3 Tbsp salsa macha

5 Tbsp rice or white vinegar. If you don’t have this vinegar type, but have other vinegar laying around, give it a taste and make an executive decision to use that instead. We are all about fluid cooking here!

*2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

*2 cups of chopped mushroom caps

*1 cup chopped bell pepper

*2 heads butterhead lettuce

1-2 cups cooked long grain rice

Method

1. Cook 1-2 cups of rice per package instructions and set aside

2. Stir together hoisin, 1 tsp water, 2 Tbsp of your salsa macha, and 2 Tbsp. of vinegar (this will be the sauce you cook your meat and veggies in)

3. In a separate bowl, combine 1 Tbsp slasa macha, 3 Tbsp vinegar, and 2 Tbsp honey (this will be the sauce you top your wraps with)

4. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add in your ground turkey with salt and pepper. Frequently stir the turkey until it has completely browned. Set aside

5. In the same skillet, add another 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil and the mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms have lost volume and are slightly golden brown

6. Once the mushrooms have cooked through, add the turkey back to the skillet, along with the chopped bell pepper and hoisin sauce mixture. Cook through for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat

7. Gently peel single lettuce leaves away from the core of the lettuce heads. Scoop rice onto the lettuce leaves as a base, then add the turkey and mushroom mixture on top. Finish with the salsa macha and honey dressing.

8. Good luck stopping yourself from eating like 10 of these?

We hope to see you at the 1st & 3rd Sunday at Rice Village Farmers Market or 2nd & 4th Sunday at Heights Mercantile Farmers Market. Both markets run from 9-1 pm, with Heights located at 714 Yale St. and Rice located at 2504 Amherst St. These markets operate rain or shine! We will have over 60 vendors, live music, and immaculate vibes.

Thank you for following along and supporting local!

xxCB