Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps {Portion Fix/21 Day Fix}

Sometimes I want a meatless meal. These Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps are a great option for that. I don’t eat the vegan lifestyle but have done things like “Meatless Monday” for a long time now. 

Lately, I have tried moving my “meat” proteins earlier in the day. I eat 2 normal protein portions for 2 meals and then eat a meatless option for supper. So I have been experimenting with a few recipes.

Vegan Protein and the Portion Fix

I eat with the Portion Fix/21 Day Fix program and it does have a vegan version. The list is varied but very short.

• vegan meal replacement shake, options HERE
• tempeh
• tofu
• vegan protein powders
• veggie burgers, options HERE
• beans
• lentils
• shelled edamame
• peas
• refried beans
• seitan

I always have beans, lentils, peas, and refried beans in my pantry so when I want to go “meatless” I have plenty of options. I can find some low sodium options for some of them but if I can’t I drain and rinse the beans. Then I soak them in hot water for as long as I can before I proceed with my recipe, just to help leach out as much sodium as I can. 

What Container Do I Use To Measure My Portion of Chickpeas? 

Like I said I do not eat the full vegan lifestyle so when I choose to eat one of these as my protein option it counts as my Yellow container. If you ARE a vegan then you would serve yourself in the Red container.

These became Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps because I am counting those chickpeas/garbanzo beans Yellow. But I get 3 Yellow containers per day so if I wanted to stuff all the ingredients into a pita pocket I could! 

These are my favorite brand! I can have 1 whole pocket for 1/2Yellow container. HERE is some information about bread products. Again if you ARE a vegan the chickpeas are a Red container and a pita is on your Yellow-B list. 

What else goes into my Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps?

The list is fairly short: 

chickpeas

hot sauce and spices

lettuce leaves

ranch dressing

pickled red onions

I like to make the chickpea portion of this ahead of time. Sometimes in the morning and serve it in the afternoon. But more often I make it when I am cleaning up my kitchen in the evening and throw it in the fridge for the next day. When I do it that way I put all the ingredients in a baggie and toss it around every time I  open the fridge.  If you can’t make it that far ahead, I would give it a couple of hours in the fridge at the very least.

The seasonings I use are Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. You can adjust the amount of hot sauce to suit your taste. 

Any lettuce variety will do, but romaine is naturally rigid enough to hold the chickpeas. How many lettuces leaves equal 1G? Well, you have to kind of guess. I have done some extreme measuring of all kinds of foods and have found that 3 -4 leaves can = 1G and I am adding red onions to the mix too. 

The ranch dressing can be store-bought or homemade. I have information about store-bought options HERE. But my favorite ranch is my mayo-based one, recipe HERE.

The pickled red onion is simple to make. It is only sliced red onion covered in boiling white vinegar and left to steep till cool. I make a jarful at a time because I use them in other things. But if I am making them just for this recipe I make them at the same time I make the chickpea mixture. 

What do I like to serve with these Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Lettuce Wraps?

Something creamy always goes with something spicy for me. This easy salad sticks with the vegan theme too. Classic Carrot Salad recipe HERE. I always use

 

And maybe a dessert of VEGAN Chocolate Pudding. Recipe HERE.