Easy dinner recipes: Low-calorie lettuce wraps for Gluten-Free Wednesday

It’s Gluten-Free Wednesday. When you’re looking for easy on-the-go solutions, you can’t go wrong with a wrap. Keep it gluten-free using lettuce or cabbage. And keep it fun -- and calorie-conscious -- with tempting beef, shrimp and Philly cheesesteak ideas. Each of these options comes in at 225 calories or less per serving.

Beef lettuce wrap: Tender beef is flavored with a combination of soy sauce and Thai chili sauce, then tossed with crunchy water chestnuts and fresh mint, cilantro and green onions for a dinner that comes together in only 25 minutes.

Shrimp artichoke lettuce cups: Or try a simple shrimp and artichoke filling. These cups come together in only 45 minutes, using colorful radicchio as a lettuce cup.

Philly cheesesteak lettuce cups: Want rich Philly cheesesteak but looking for a diet-friendly option? These treats have all the flavor for a fraction of the calories. You can find the recipe below.

If you are sensitive to gluten, check all ingredients to make sure they are gluten-free before using, as many may contain trace gluten (such as spices, a number of which include flour as an anti-caking agent), and/or are produced in facilities that also process gluten-based products.

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK LETTUCE CUPS

Total time: 20 minutes | Serves 1

Note: Adapted from “Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories” by Lisa Lillien. Lillien writes, “We’re kicking unwanted calories and carbs to the curb here by serving up our cheesesteak in lettuce cups instead of on a giant doughy roll. Who’s smart? WE ARE!” Hungry Girl Tip: Freezing the beef slightly will make it easier to cut.

3 ounces raw lean beefsteak fillet
Nonstick spray
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
1 slice fat-free American cheese
2 leaves romaine, butter or green leaf lettuce

1. Slice the fillet crosswise into thin strips about one-eighth inch thick. Set aside.

2. Spray a medium pan with nonstick spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat to a small bowl and set aside.

3. Re-spritz the pan with nonstick spray. Cook the fillet strips over medium-high heat until browned on each side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side.

4. Break the cheese slice into small strips, place on top of the meat -- still in the pan -- and continue to cook until the cheese has melted slightly, less than 1 minute.

5. Remove from heat and mix the cheesy beef strips in with the mushrooms and onions. Serve in the lettuce “cups.”

Each serving: 174 calories; 24 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 5 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 40 mg. cholesterol; 307 mg. sodium.

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