Yum! Yum! Yum!

 I’ve always loved lettuce wraps—especially the PF Chang’s ones I constantly crave—and they’ve become a staple as I focus more on clean, low-carb, protein-rich meals. They make eating lettuce feel fancy and fun, and they’re always my go-to healthy appetizer when dining out. So when Thanksgiving 2025 potluck sign-ups came around, I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. With so many heavy dishes on the table, these chicken lettuce wraps felt like the perfect fresh, flavorful option—and they ended up being a total crowd-pleaser. Here’s the recipe that made Thanksgiving just a little lighter and a lot more delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

Meat:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp - coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp - cumin powder 

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper finely diced
• 4 to 5 mushrooms finely diced
• 1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained & diced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp sriracha or chili garlic sauce 
• 1 tbsp Peanut butter (Optional)

To serve:

• 1 head butter lettuce or romaine
• Extra sliced jalapeños (for some kick)
• chopped peanuts (optional for some crunch)
• sesame seeds (optional, use for garnish)

Method:

1. Cook the chicken: heat the heavy bottom pan, add ground chicken. break it apart with a spoon and cook until browned, ~5–6 minutes. add salt, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder and mix it well so that meat gets infused with the spices. Transfer it to the plate
2. Cook the veggies: In the same pan, stir fry the veggies along with oil for 2 to 3 min. veggies should be semi cooked and slightly crunchy. keep these aside.
3. Prepare the sauce: Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add all the ingredients in the sauce section, mix it well, until the sauce becomes thick. taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste needs
4. Putting it all together: add cooked meat and veggies to the sauce pan and toss it well so that everything is coated evenly with the sauce. ( for 2 to 3 min)
5. Garnish: Transfer this to a wide bowl, garnish with diced jalapeños for some kick, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds for some crunch. 
6. Assemble wraps: Separate the lettuce wraps and wash and dry them gently and leave them on a wide platter. Spoon warm filling into lettuce leaves. Top with sesame seeds and green onions.

Lettuce Wraps - Romaine Lettuce

Tips:

• Make it vegetarian: Swap chicken with finely chopped crumbled tofu.More crunch: Add shredded carrots or chopped peanuts.
• Star ingredient: Water chestnuts are the star secret ingredient, it's must. Don't skip it. It adds a nice crunch in between the bites. Hoisin sauce is must, don't make this dish with out that sauce. 
• Peanut Allergy alert: If you are allergic to peanut butter, replace it with honey or 1 tbsp brown sugar for slight sweet taste. avoid peanut crunch in the garnish.
• Scale up: The ratio fo the sauces is critical, use this ratio to scale up or down for more servings (Hoisin:Soy:RiceVinegar:SesameOil:Sriracha = 3:2:1:1:1)

Ash Gourd  Juice has become popular lately, as people are getting the awareness around the medical benefits of this wonder fruit. I have heard this from Sadguru talks first and then from my mom, and from my cousin. So after convinced with these medical benefits, i have decided to attempt to make this powerful Juice that is full of medicinal values. After making it and tasting it, it is so easy to make and tastes good. Ok, don't expect it to be taste like Sugarcane Juice, but it is not as bad as Karela (BitterGourd) juice either. Actually it didn't have strong taste or flavor. This looks/tastes as cool as coconut water, but gives the twice energy boost that is equivalent to coffee, while keeping you calm (with out making you hyper or excited as Coffee does to you). :-)

The hardest part in this recipe is peeling and chopping the AshGourd. AshGourd is thick and looks tough from outside, it won't be encouraging to process it quickly. If you just make an attempt with chopping, it is very easy and piece of a cake. (please check the video below or on my channel for quick instructions).  Here is the recipe for you, Njoy!

Ash Gourd Juice

Ingredients:

AshGourd - 1/8 of Medium Size Gourd

*servings - 4

Method:

1. Remove the outer edge and inner core and seeds of the Ash Gourd Quarter
2. Chop the wedges into medium size cubes
3. Add these pieces to NinjA bullet and grind in Extract mode for 10 sec
4. Add some water to jar and pulse in Smoothie mode for 20 sec
5. Strain the juice using colander and remove the excess pulp
6. Pour into glasses and serve immediately

• You don't need to add any sugar to this juice. If you feel it is strong in flavor, you can add pinch of salt or lime juice for added flavor. 
• This juice is very cool naturally, if you like chilled version, you can add 2 ice cubed while serving
• You can use NinjA bullet or Magic Bullet also to extract the juice. NinjA bullet is my new addition from last year Thanksgiving purchase. I am so happy with this purchase and keeping it to full use.
• I buy the Green Pumpkin Quarter at India Store (Patel Brothers) in states.
• This year my neighbor shared many long AshGourds from her Garden Yield. 

My Healthy Breakfast Plate :-)

Don't forget to check out all other Fresh Juice Recipes. 

Here is the Video Recipe:

Will be back with another simple recipe, Take care until then

Keep Smiling and Spread the Joy!

-Mythreyi 

During my childhood I have witnessed, Hibiscus playing vital role as part of natural Hair Care remedies. My Grand ma used to mix Hibiscus Leaves with Soapnut water (Kunkundu Kaya Rasam in Telugu), which was a natural Shampoo in those days. Mom used to make Hibiscus flower infused Hair Oil, that helps with hair growth, strong roots and replenish the hair. As my patio garden showered many Hibiscus flowers last year, after making fresh Hibiscus Herbal Tea, i have dried few flowers and saved, those came in handy to make this DIY - Rosemary Hibiscus Coconut Oil. As I love the smell of Rosemary herb and and it is known as good natural hair care agent, i have enhanced my mom's Hibiscus Coconut Oil recipe infused with Rosemary flavor. Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil - 2 cups

Hibiscus Flowers - 6 to 8 (dried, red color is preferred)

Rosemary Strands - 5 to 6 (3 inch stems)

Method:

1. Take Coconut Oil in a steal pot ( with heavy bottom). Keep it on the stove on low heat.
2. Add rosemary strands in the oil, simmer for 2 min
3. Add dried hibiscus flowers or petals to the oil and simmer for 2 min
4. Increase the heat to medium, boil for 3 min, by now you will notice the oil color changing
5. Switch off the stove, close the lid for 5 min, to let it cool off
6. Then strain into a wide mouth vessel with a strainer to remove all the hibiscus and rosemary strands
7. Carefully pour into a glass bottle and store in the dark place
8. Apply this oil to your hair weekly once, leave it for 1 hour, then wash your hair. (this routine helps to nourish your hair). 

Notes:

This recipe is on my 'recipes to try' list from long time, actually long long time,  when we visited Pier 39 in the Bay Area in California in 2014. Clam Chowder served in a sourdough bread is a popular recipe on this pier, since I am not a fan of Seafood, i couldn't dare to try any Clam Chowder on the pier at that time, but I was determined to make a Veggie version of Chowder since then. Now it is happening, I wanted to try a simple soup recipe for this Thanksgiving potluck, i made this Vegan Corn Chowder recipe, that is thick, creamy and makes it very filling, however I made it little spicy in my version, that made it a popular hit at the table for our Indian Guests. And one more thing, finally i get to use my crock pot (slow cooker) for the first time that I bought couple of years ago as part of the Thanksgiving Sale. I am so thankful for this crock pot and this recipe, where you have to keep all the ingredients in the crock pot and let it take care of itself. Loved that two pending things on my list are done #1making this soup and #2 using my Crock-pot, :-)  here is the recipe for you, Njoy!

Ingredients:

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Onion - 1 medium

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Potato - 4 medium (Russet Potato)

Carrot - 1 medium (optional)

Jalapeno - 1 (Optional)

Red Chili Powder - 1 Tbsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Oregano - 2 strands

Sweet Corn - 16 oz (frozen variety) (if you are using fresh, use 4 cups of sweet corn)

Water - 1/2 cup

Coconut Milk - 1 can (16 oz)

Vegetable Broth - 32 oz ( 1 box) ( i have used plant based broth, low sodium)

Salt - 2 tsp salt ( as per your taste)

Lime Juice - 1 Tbsp (Optional)

Preparation:

Peel and Chop Onion into medium size cubes. Peel and chop potato into medium size cubes. If you are using carrot, trim edges, peel and chop into small size chunks. Thaw frozen corn in microwave and reserve 1/2 cup of corn (to add at the end)

Method:

1. Heat the non-stick pan, add oil to it. Once oil is hot, add chopped onion, jalapeno and saute for 2 min, add cumin powder, turmeric powder and saute for 2 more min
2. Add chopped potato, carrot, mix with onions and close the lid let it cook until outer edges becomes soft, add 1/2 cup water, coriander powder, red chili powder and cook on medium heat until potatoes become soft. 
3. Add thawed corn to the pan, mix it well and cook for 5 min. After 5 min, everything becomes soft, use a potato masher and mash it nicely in the pan. 
4. Start the Crock-pot in High mode for 4 Hours. Transfer the contents from pan to crock pot, add oregano strands, vegetable broth, taste and adjust salt as needed and close the crock-pot lid and let it cook
5. After 2 hours, add the can of coconut milk to the crock pot and give it a stir and close the lid and cook for remaining 2 hours
6. Finally add reserved corn and lime juice to the pot right before serving. 
7. Transfer to bowl,  serve warm with a side of dinner roll or your favorite bread. You can garnish with few jalapeno rounds for extra kick. 

This soup is not very heavy like other creamy soups, but it is thick with loaded potatoes and has apt amount of creaminess from coconut milk, has enough warmth with lot of spice flavors. Trust me, Nobody won't say No to this soup, and your guests will go for second round for sure! :-)

Notes:

• Making this soup in crock-pot gives couple benefits, the process of slow cooking gives additional taste to the soup, and also it keeps the soup hot for longer period. (that makes it convenient avoids single serving heating separately)
• If you don't have crock pot, you can use the same recipe in InstaPot with Soup or slow cook option
• If you use russet potatoes, they cook faster and becomes soft. Otherwise, if your potatoes doesn't become soft easily with potato masher, then you can mash it in with the hand blender.
• If you want to make this soup overnight, in step#4 start the crock pot in Low mode for 8 hours, on the night before your party. 
• After adding coconut milk, if you feel like soup became thick, you can add more vegetable broth until you get the consistency you want. (make sure to taste and adjust salt as needed)

Check out my other Soup Recipes:

• Vegan Chili 
• Cabbage Diet Soup
• Soup Recipes

will be back with another easy recipe

until then keep smiling and spread the joy!

-Mythreyi 

When ever there is left over rice, Pulihora (Lemon Rice) happens with out any second thought at our home as it is our family's favorite. Sometimes i get bored and usually try  variety rice recipes, today I have tried this Hydrabadi Bagara Rice that goes well with Chicken Fry or Stuffed Brinjal (Gutti Vankaya) recipe. The recipe is so simple and you can convert left over rice to exotic rice dish.  Here is the recipe, Njoy!

Ingredients:

Cooked White Rice - 2 cups

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Ghee - 1 Tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 10

Onion - 1/2 (sliced vertically)

Green Chili - 2

Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Salt - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder  - 1 tsp

Cashew Nuts - 6 (whole)

Method:

1. Heat kadai on the stove, add Oil, once it is hot, add cumin seeds followed by mustard seeds and curry leaves. 
2. Once curry leaves start spluttering, add sliced green chili and onions. Saute until onion becomes translucent. 
3. Add Red Chili Powder and infuse the oil with spices. Add cashew nuts and mix with spices. 
4. Add cooked white rice to the Kadai and mix well with onion and spices. stir-fry on high flame. 
5. Add salt now to the rice and mix well. taste and adjust the salt and seasoning. Add chopped cilantro to the rice. Finally top with 1 tbsp Ghee and mix well. 
6. Bagara Rice is ready, transfer to serving bowl and serve hot immediately with gravy dish.

Quick Mexican Rice
Coriander / Cilantro Rice
Chicken Masala Rice