It's quick. It's easy. It's like a salad you eat with your hands. 

Depending on chopping skills, this might take you 15-30 minutes to make. 

Things you need:

2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 lb ground turkey (I used 99% fat free)

2-4 chiles*, minced

2 carrots, grated

1 tsp honey

1 Tbsp Hoison (optional)

1 Tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce

12-16 Thai basil leaves, chiifonade (sliced into little strips)

1/4 tsp white pepper

8-10 lettuce leaves, washed and dried (I prefer butter lettuce, but anything that can hold some filling will work)

*This is your decision. Want to create a pain inducing dish, add 4-6 tiny Thai chiles. Me? I used 2 jalapeños, seeded. It was medium (again this is subjective), but we could have easily dealt with more.

Get ready! This goes quickly if your ingredients are prepped!

In a large skillet or cast iron pan (or wok if so inclined), heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once pan is hot 

and oil shimmers, add ginger and garlic. 

Sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant, then add ground turkey. Break up the turkey as it browns into small pieces. 

Now add the chiles, carrots, honey, Hoison, and soy sauce. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. 

Get ready for magic! Add the Thai basil leaves and cook 1-2 minutes till fragrant. Remove pan from heat and add white pepper.

Now go eat and proclaim the awesomeness of Thai basil!

"HEY!!! I don't see no recipe for no dippin' sauce. Add I DO see dippin' sauce in the picture!" you exclaim. 

Well, ok. Maybe a "dippin' sauce" was created... Get ready… 

Dippin' Sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Siracha

1 tsp honey

Mix. There you have it. Dippin' sauce. Dip it, spoon it over, use it as a palate cleanser… it is your decision. 

Diet-ish type stuff...

Step one for any diet: avoid too much dippin' sauce. I suggest spooning it over the wraps so you know how much you get or avoiding it all together.

Paleo: The Hoison and honey are optional. You could substitute

 salt for the soy. Just depends on how many of the ingredients are not on your approved list.

21 Day Fix: Mixture is mostly a red container, but meal could be a red and green combo with the right lettuce. Also, avoid too much soy or Hoison. 

Gluten Free: Make sure your Hoison and soy sauce are gluten free, then chow down.

Yes, that does look like rice. Did I mention how fluffy it is?Light. As. A. Cloud. Oh, and laced with lime, thyme, and garlic… It could be a song. Or a carb. But it is neither.

You say, "Tell me about that jerk chicken. It looks mighty tasty."

We will get to that. First, the cauliflower rice…

Things you need:

One head of Cauliflower

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 small limes (cut into pieces)

1/2 cup diced onion

3-4 springs of thyme

1/3 cup water

For those who have a different name for it, or wonder what this device is that came with their food processor, the picture to your right is the shredding blade. BTW it also makes slices… If you do not own a food processor, just run a knife across the outside of the florets and, while it happen very slow, you will eventually get a rice like consistency.






"Hold on here. You have more pictures of the chicken. Do I see a wing?!? Let's talk about the jerk. Is it a marinade or a sauce or both? How long did it sit? Were you able to…"

STOP. We are almost done with the rice. This is the exciting part! Rice, but no carbs AND it's really a vegetable! How cool is that?

(murmuring something about a chicken and a jerk…)

Now, let it cook, stirring occasionally. When the water has evaporated and the "rice" is tender, remove from heat. Now fish out the sprigs of thyme and lime wedges.

Just prior to serving, squeeze the other lime wedges over the top of the rice or serve on the side.


"STOP SHOWIN' ME PICTURES OF THE CHICKEN YOU WON'T TELL ME ABOUT! Sure. It may be part of the background of an image, but I want the JERK CHICKEN!!!"

You didn't have to shout. I was just about to tell you.

Jerk Chicken:
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

By the way… This is will falls more towards the "Indulgent" heading.

It is not really "bad" for you. It just doesn't take into consideration things like, being a low-fat marinade or using skin-on chicken. But on the other hand, it's not like we are eating deep fried chicken or something swimming in ranch dressing. So all-in-all, it is good food. Not low in calories, but high in flavor. If on a diet, just watch your portions.

You will need:

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 scotch bonnet or habanero chiles, or 4 serrano chiles (adjust for heat as needed)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 scallions
1/4 of a medium onion, sweet onion or Vidalia preferred
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1.5 tsp ground allspice
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or a couple of breasts and wings… or, if you don't know how but want to learn, click here and Gordon Ramsay can teach you how.)

Mix everything in a blender or food processor until it is chopped finely, combined, and emulsified. The consistency should be that of a thin milkshake… Whatever that means.

Place all chicken pieces into a gallon Ziplock bag and cover with the mixture from the blender. Seal the bag and place into a bowl to prevent any leaks. Let sit 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

When it is time to cook, grill over medium-high flames until golden all on both sides, then transfer to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking.

If NOT grilling, sear each piece of chicken in a skillet then transfer to a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven until cooked through.

Chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165*.

"HEY! I spent all that time making a marinade and now we are just throwing it AWAY?!?"

Well. I don't suppose we have to toss it out. I mean you could pour the used marinate into a shallow saucepan, then add 1/4 cup water and bring to a simmer (reaching a temperature of at least 190*). Then, you could pour this now slightly thickened marinade/sauce over the top of said cooked chicken while it is cooling… Then DEVOUR it.