Buffalo Lettuce Boats
So, this one may feel like a reap-er but it’s not. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. Not even a little bit. I’m feeling less confident now. Eh….Trust the process.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you’ve probably been noticing that we have been eating WAY healthier & WAY cleaner. We feel great! We are seeing results! WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!
But let’s be forreal – when Chris first started this shit, I was all like, “UGH what am I gonna come up with for new content or how can I get creative?” – because CLEARLY I have this ultra-popular platform & this audience that neeeeds me. But being SUPER healthy scared me. I won’t lie, the first couple of weeks were no easy task but learning to read labels & ingredients has changed my life! No sarcasm!
Also adding to the ultra-conscious & sometimes difficult desire to continue to eat better and stay on this health journey, FOOTBALL SZN IS BACK and all we wanna do is snack & drink adult bevvies – which, shit, we definitely WILL continue do but we might have to do a lil tweaking here & there!
Introducing my Buffalo Lettuce Boats ! These might not be tailgate friendly, but they are certainly football-watching-on-the-couch friendly – and that’s the major win right there! This even makes a big enough batch that you can *gasp* SHARE with others?!
more or less the same deliciousness.
I revisited my OG Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe & decided it was pretty dang lean as far as “unhealthy” ingredients so I just wanted to make a few adjustments to feel EVEN BETTER about what we are putting in our bodies!
Let’s start off by being real – because, when am I not? Ground Chicken is bland. It’s tasteless & it requires A LOT of oomph to make it worth being on my plate – at least these are my very personal opinions. Ground Turkey is just as healthy & has a little more color and taste to make it easier for being delicious – maybe even crave-worthy?!
Buffalo Chicken Dip itself is always SUCH a looked-forward to item at any tailgate table and this conception is no different! It doesn’t require the extra step of baking & it comes together in less than 20 minutes – I’d call that a huge W for a football snack!
but make it healthy AF
The first thing to “go” was I decided to cut all 3 cheeses in half – I mean, 3 cheeses is better than 1 cheese so damn, if it needs to be less then we will make do! So, we ended up doing only 2 Oz of reduced fat cream cheese, ½ cup of Shredded Cheddar & ¼ cup of Gorgonzola Crumbles for garnish, only.
Instead of Tostitos, I thought Romaine Lettuce leaves would give that delightful crunch factor – man I wasn’t wrong! I’m not gonna go so far as to sound like a veggie-hungry-idiot and say some shit like “oh I don’t even miss the chips!” ….. trust me, I miss the damn chips, but the craving was satisfied 90% so I’ll take it.
I’m sure some of you may be a little eye-roll-y right now….which is fine, you can leave. But if you get curious & wanna come back, you know where to find me. If the rest of you saw my picture and got excited and have decided to stay on, then congrats because shit is about to get good.
Let’s Get To It!
Ingredients
• 1 head Romaine Lettuce, leaves cleaned & divided
• 1 LB Ground Turkey
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 Oz reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup Gorgonzola Crumbles
• ¼ cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 2 green onion stalks, finely chopped
• 1 TBS Trader Joe’s Ranch Seasoning
• ½ TSP each S+P and Garlic Powder
Instructions
Begin by browning the Ground Turkey in a large pan on medium-high heat.
Clean & chop the Green Onions – both the whites & greens will go directly into the pan with the Ground Turkey!
Once the Ground Turkey is no longer pink, turn the heat down to low and start to add all the *fun* ingredients – the cheeses, Buffalo Sauce, & spices – DUH.
Oh & it will start to smell REAL GOOD up in there, REAL QUICK.
Stir together the cream cheese, shredded cheddar & pour in the Buffalo Sauce, and don’t forget to sprinkle the Ranch seasoning! – everything will take a few minutes but it will meld together beautifully and become thick – perfect to slather in the crunchy cocoon of a Romaine Leaf!
Once everything is melted & cooked, turn off the heat & allow the mixture to cool slightly.
I mean really, who wants to pile STEAMING HOT MEAT on a cool, crunchy lettuce leaf? – NOT ME. That literally sounds gross. Soggy lettuce? Blech.
ANYWAY.
Now you can take this time while the meat cools to clean the lettuce leaves & chop the celery!
I usually like to split each celery stalk into 3 and then dice finely – I want each bite to be able to hold the ultimate of each flavor without being too big or chunky in my mouth!
Feel free to give a rough chop to the Gorgonzola Crumbles too – the smaller the pieces, they might melt a little bit with the residual heat as well!
Rinse well & pat dry each Romaine Lettuce leaf.
Spoon the Buffalo Ground Turkey Mixture onto each lettuce leaf.
Top with Gorgonzola Crumbles & bits of finely diced celery – it will be a beautiful sight.
I mean, seriously, football food can be pretty too!
If you’re feeling adventurous, drizzle an extra TSP of Buffalo Sauce over your plate of filled Buffalo Lettuce Boats – another chance for a beautiful sight.
Serve immediately & enjoy! Expect to hear many *surprised* oohs & aahs at this experience of “healthy football food” ! Because now we know it can actually exist!
Full of protein, very few carbs, & no added sugar – this plate will be a winner no matter what your team manages to fumble on Sunday.
GOTCHA THERE.
Tee Hee. Not trying to start fights.
Enjoy this new take on Buffalo “Dip” that can double as a meal if you wanted it to!
Will you serve this for football this season? Let me know!
Buffalo is Buffalo
I personally believe that Buffalo Sauce can make almost anything delicious. Even Cauliflower! YES I’ve seen the Cauliflower Buffalo Bites – only downside is they are usually breaded & fried, which *heard* if you are going for the time to really try and be the ultimate trickster if you are trying to get someone to eat a little healthier, but also completely defeats the purpose.
I digress.
I’m seriously tickled that we’ve been able to find these little “hacks” to lighten & liven up some dishes that we can still enjoy to the fullest while being healthy – it feels really good!
Football Season is important in our house & while we certainly don’t want to skip out or restrict ourselves, making some mindful choices really adds to the success rate rather than “dieting” because that word fucking sucks & I hate what it does to people.
ANYWAY.
You are deserving of food, of good food & of food you ENJOY – figure out your own way! & if you can’t, I’ll try and be here to help! But don’t expect much, because I’m new here too. Have a great weekend errybody!
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
© 2021 Cookin’ & Cussin’
