Shitake Eggplant Lettuce Wraps

 

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, washed and de-stemmed
• 1 large Japanese eggplant, peeled 
• ½ stick Country Crock Plant Butter
• ½ cup diced shallots 
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tablespoons minced ginger
• 8 ounces water chestnuts, sliced 
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 
• 2 tablespoons mirin 
• 3 tablespoons tamari 
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil 
• 1 small Thai chili (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• 1 head of bibb lettuce
• 1 head of iceberg lettuce

To Garnish:

• Salted peanuts, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper,  de-seeded and thinly sliced
• Cilantro, chopped
• Thai basil, chopped
• Mint leaves, chopped
• Fresh lime juice

Preparation:

1. Chop mushrooms and eggplant into small bite-size pieces. In a large skillet, add plant butter and melt over medium-high heat. Once sizzling, add mushrooms and eggplant with a sprinkling of salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring halfway through with a wooden spatula until the mixture begins to brown. 
2. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, and chestnuts. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and tender. 
3. Add mirin to deglaze the bottom of the skillet, scraping the bottom as needed. Add nutritional yeast, tamari, and toasted sesame seed oil (and Thai chili, if using). Mix well and cook for a few more minutes. Give the mixture a taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. The eggplant should be soft and caramelized. If not, continue to cook on medium heat until it is thoroughly cooked. 
4. Separate the lettuce leaves and stack one to two pieces of bibb lettuce inside a larger piece of iceberg. Fill each lettuce cup with a few tablespoons of the cooked mixture. Sprinkle a hefty amount of chopped peanuts, fresh cilantro, Thai basil, and mint over top, and squeeze fresh lime juice over the wraps to complete the dish. Enjoy immediately!

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