Recipe: Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

These nutritious lettuce wraps are perfect for meal prepping. Add a spicy kick to the dish with mild, medium, or hot buffalo wing sauce. Dining with family and friends? Diced avocado and yogurt can cool down the heat, so everyone is happy. To enjoy the wraps on the go, package the lettuce leaves separate from the chickpea salad and assemble onsite.  

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving size: 2–3 lettuce wraps with approximately ½ cup of salad per wrap 

Ingredients

• 15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and dried
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and diced
• ¼ cup diced celery
• ¼ cup seeded and diced cucumber
• ½ cup finely chopped red cabbage
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup diced carrot
• 1 avocado, cubed
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup buffalo sauce
• ¼ cup plain low-fat yogurt
• 8–12 bibb lettuce leaves 

Instructions

Chickpeas

Preheat oven to 400°F. After drying the chickpeas, add them to a mixing bowl with olive oil and turmeric. Mix well. Spread evenly onto a roasting pan or sheet pan. Heat in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Chickpea Salad

While the chickpeas are roasting, prep the veggies. Add the red pepper, celery, cucumber, red cabbage, red onion, carrot, avocado, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Toss gently. 

When the chickpeas are done roasting, smash about half of them with a fork. Leave the remaining chickpeas whole. Transfer both to the mixing bowl with the veggies. Mix the buffalo sauce and yogurt together and add to the salad. Toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assembly

Divide the chickpea mixture into 4 portions. Place a lettuce leaf into your hand and fill with the chickpea mixture. Scoop ½ cup of chickpea salad onto one lettuce leaf to create one wrap. A full serving is 2–3 lettuce wraps. Continuing filling lettuce leaves until you have used all of your chickpea salad. Serve.  

MOBE Kitchen Tips:

• Short on time? Purchase pre-chopped veggies in the produce section of your local supermarket.
• Buffalo sauce typically comes in mild, medium, or hot. Choose the heat level you prefer.

Recipe Notes:

• Be sure to dry the chickpeas thoroughly so they toast in the oven versus steam.
• Easily substitute ingredients. For example: Dill or chives can be used instead of cilantro, diced pickles can be added for a pop of flavor, shredded chicken can be swapped for the chickpeas, low-fat ranch or blue cheese can be traded for the yogurt, and romaine or red leaf lettuce could be substituted for the bibb lettuce.
• Ground turmeric, a spice with an intense yellow color, is being studied for its many potential health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
• The number of wraps you’ll be able to make will depend on the size of your lettuce leaves.
• If desired, drizzle additional plain yogurt over the wraps to cool the heat from the buffalo sauce.
• Looking for more nutrient-dense lunch ideas? Try the Chicken Salad Wrap, BBQ Chicken Sandwich, or Veggie Hummus Sandwich recipes. 

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories: 230 / Total Fat: 12g (15% DV) / Saturated Fat: 1.5g (8% DV) / Trans Fat: 0g / Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV) / Sodium: 800mg (35% DV) / Total Carbohydrate: 27g (10% DV) / Dietary Fiber: 9g (32% DV) / Total Sugars: 5g / Added Sugar: 0g (0% DV) / Protein: 9g / Vitamin D: 0.2mcg (2% DV) / Calcium: 100mg (8% DV) / Iron: 2.4mg (15% DV) / Potassium: 600mg (15% DV)

Allergen Statement: Contains milk. Read the ingredient label on your buffalo sauce to determine if there are any other allergens present.