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Key Takeaways:

Wrap Delight: These Asian Vegan Beef Lettuce Wraps combine savory and sweet flavors with plant-based beef, forbidden black rice, and sweet pink rice, all wrapped in tender Boston Bib lettuce.
Health Benefits: Forbidden black rice and sweet pink rice are rich in anthocyanins and iron, promoting brain health, memory, and oxygen circulation.
Burst of Flavors: Topped with sesame-ginger-soy and Hoisin sauce, these wraps are layered with crunchy carrots, scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
Easy to Customize: Substitute the rice with wild, red, or brown rice, and tweak the spiciness with sauces like Green Dragon or Sriracha.
Quick Prep Tips: A Julienne peeler is a handy tool to create perfect matchstick vegetables, speeding up your prep time.
Nutritional Twist: This recipe satisfies Chinese food cravings with a healthy, protein-packed, plant-based twist.

Overview

Looking for a vibrant, brain-boosting meal that hits all the flavor notes without compromising your health goals? These Asian Vegan Beef Lettuce Cups are the perfect blend of delicious and nutritious. Wrapped in tender Boston Bib lettuce, each cup is filled with a satisfying mix of plant-based beef, sweet pink rice, and antioxidant-rich forbidden black rice. This powerhouse combo isn’t just packed with bold Asian-inspired flavors like sesame-ginger-soy and Hoisin sauce—it’s also loaded with ingredients that support brain health, including anthocyanin-packed rice and iron-rich grains that help oxygenate your brain. Finished with crunchy carrot matchsticks, fresh scallions, cilantro, and sesame seeds, these lettuce cups are a simple, smart, and satisfying way to indulge your Chinese food cravings—minus the guilt. Whether you’re using a Beyond Burger, a julienne peeler for quick prep, or switching up the rice for your own twist, this recipe is a fresh, flavorful win for your body and your brain.

I love wrapping food in other food. This is one culinary decision that can’t be beaten. So, I opted to house savory and sweet, Asian-style Vegan beef, sweet pink, and “forbidden” black rice in tender piece of Boston Bib lettuce. Oh yeah, and did I mention these protein-filled pouches are topped with crunchy sesame seeds, tasty carrot matchsticks, scallions, and cilantro? Not to mention, they have a delicious sesame-ginger-soy and Hoisin sauce. These healthy Asian vegan beef lettuce cups are the ultimate way to satisfy your Chinese food cravings, minus the bad stuff.

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Neuroscience Nutritional Nugget -
Forbidden Rice Helps Keep your Hippocampus Healthy

Dubbed the “prohibited grain,” black rice is abundant in anthocyanin. This powerful antioxidant is the same phytonutrient that produces the dark blue hue of blueberries – another renowned brain food. According to Spoon University, black rice has a more noteworthy anthocyanin content than either black or blueberries, making it more effective in fighting oxidative stress in the part of your brain responsible for memory – the memory area of the brain your hippocampus.

Antioxidant are molecules that fight free radicals in your body. Free radicals damage your body and contribute to diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. In Alzheimer’s, the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is vulnerable to oxidative stress and memory loss.

The sweet pink rice is pinkish red due to a red pigment in the rice that is also high in anthocyanin in addition the iron in the pink rice helps your blood deliver oxygen to your brain. Iron is critical for the production of Hemoglobin, the molecule in your blood that transports oxygen.

SIS - Simple is Smart Tips

My newest favorite gadget (Farmer Fred calls them gizzies) anyway; my latest is the Julienne peeler. If you love matchstick vegetables, this is the fastest and best way to make perfect vegetable matchsticks. This works best on firm vegetables like carrots, potatoes, radishes, etc.
Make these Asian Vegan Beef Lettuce Cups extra healthy and nutritious with sweet pink and forbidden black rice. Wild rice, brown rice or red rice are also healthy and delicious.

The Ingredients you Need for Asian Vegan Beef Letuce Wraps

Plant-Based Beef: Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger, I haven’t tried any of the other plant-based beef substitutes.
Baby Bella Mushrooms: Shitake mushrooms are my favorite for this recipe, shower they can be hard o find.
Diced Onions: Yellow, Spanish, or white onions. Don’t use red or sweet onions.
Soy Sauce: Use low -sodium soy sauce.
Hoisin Sauce: This sauce is a condiment made out of fermented soybean paste that is mixed with other flavors and spices. It adds an Asian, sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor to dishes.
Green Dragon Sauce: Spicy tangy with just the right amount of heat. If your don’t have Green Dragon Sauce, use Siracha Sauce.
Fresh Grated Ginger: Use a micro-plane to grate the ginger.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves.
Rice Vinegar: Adds a little tang.
Sesame oil: Added to the meat mixture for extra flavor.
Lettuce: Boston Bib Lettuce is best.

How to make the Vegan Beef Lettuce Wraps:

Step by Step Instructions:

Cook the pink rice and black rice while you prepare the vegan beef.
Julienne a carrot with a Julienne Pealer. set aside
Thinly slice the scallions and set aside.
Mix the soy sauce with the Hoisin Sauce and set aside
Brown the Vegan Beyond Beef in a large skillet on med-high heat. (about 4-6 minutes)
Add the garlic, fresh ginger, Dagon sauce, rice vinegar, and soy/Hoison sauce mixture. Cook for 4 minutes or until almost all of the moisture is evaporated.
Stir in the Sesame oil.
Assemble the Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps.
Add 2 tbsp of the pink rice, black rice, and vegan beef mixture to the lettuce leaf.
Garnish with the Julienne carrots, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds.

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FAQ:

Q: Can I use a different lettuce for the wraps?
A: Yes, you can substitute Boston Bib lettuce with romaine or iceberg lettuce, but Boston Bib provides the best texture and shape for wrapping.

Q: What are some alternatives to plant-based beef?
A: You can use crumbled tofu, tempeh, or chopped mushrooms as a plant-based alternative if you prefer not to use products like Beyond Burger or Impossible Burger.

Q: Is it necessary to use both black and pink rice?
A: Not at all! You can use just one type of rice or substitute with wild, brown, or red rice based on your preference and availability.

Q: What can I use instead of Green Dragon or Sriracha Sauce?
A: You can replace it with any spicy chili sauce or even a touch of red pepper flakes for heat.

Q: Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
A: Absolutely! Use gluten-free soy sauce and ensure the Hoisin sauce is gluten-free. Check labels on other ingredients to confirm.

Q: How do I store leftovers?
A: Store the cooked vegan beef mixture and rice separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Assemble the lettuce wraps fresh when ready to serve.

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