Wednesday, June 3, 2009

"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps



Not too long ago, I invited a good friend of mine and her boyfriend over to watch the NHL Playoffs. It was something we had been talking about doing for awhile but never set and when we finally did it was of course totally last minute and something I wasn't able to do my normal planning for. It was the weekend we picked out my brand new puppy, had a birthday party, the one I made the strawberry cupcakes for and had to go shopping to prep the house for the puppy, plus the normal household chores, it was busy. Then Sunday night came and 30 minutes before our guests were set to arrive I realized I needed to get a few little munchies together, all of us had eaten dinner but it is unacceptable for me to not have snack to offer my guests. I looked around the kitchen and thanks to our new organic veggie delivery, Mama Earth, I was able to throw together a delicious and tasty twist on a Waldorf Salad.

In the title of the post "Waldorf" is in quotes because a traditional Waldorf Salad has apples, grapes, celery, walnuts and blue cheese, I didn't have all of those ingredients on hand so I improvised.


"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps
Makes 6-8 wraps

1 small head Boston lettuce
1 Golden Blush Apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry whole leaves of Boston lettuce. Leave the skin on the apple and cut it into a 1/2" dice.
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together lemon juice and mayonnaise, add salt a pepper to taste.
3. Toss apples and pecans with the dressing. Lay lettuce leaves on a platter. Scoop 2 Tbsps of apple pecan mixture onto lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. To eat, fold up lettuce leaf and viola!


I love how simple and flavorful the dressing is, it's perfectly tangy and pairs so well with the apples and nuts. It made for a pretty presentaion on the plate and is so good if you are ever entertaining people who are gluten free. That wasn't the case here, but it was tasty and appreciated nonetheless.

I mentioned Mama Earth at the start of the post, they are an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service that the boy and I started about a month ago that we love! Not only are half of our groceries delivered weekly, they are fresh and organic and mostly support local producers. There are veggie delivery service like this in many major cities and I highly recommend doing some research to find them. I know the fabulous Domestic Diva used LOVE veggie delivery in LA. You can also search CSA (community support agriculture) opportunities in your area. there wasn't a CSA that was convenient with our schedules, so this was the next best thing and I have to say I love it, because not only do they have fruits and veggies but you also have the option of adding other organic grocery items to your weekly order. Check out produce deliver options in your area. I guarantee once you do you won't turn back.

Enjoy!

6 comments:

NKP said...

The salad looks lovely. I wish they were available out here, I so very much want to be a part of a program like this. There is just nothing here. :(

Jen H said...

That's too bad that you can't even join a CSA, I would think it would be easier in the 'burbs!

Jacque said...

Mmm, I love Boston lettuce.

Your salad looks wonderful. I would have a few of those no matter how much dinner I had just eaten.

The Food Librarian said...

This looks great! You are very creative to be able to throw this together with substitutions. If people were coming over in 30 minutes...I'd be calling Dominos! :)

Jen H said...

Jacque - the flavor was great I loved how easy and flavorful the dressing was!

Food Librarian - I'm finding that I have way more fun throwing together things like this than actually planning something out. Of course it doesn't always work, but it's fun nonetheless.

Jeff said...

Congrats on joining a CSA! I keep debating joining one here but I have a good size garden and live alone. Seems like it maybe overkill for me.

Great use of the produce and who cares if it is not traditional as long as it is tasty.