California Turkey and Bacon Lettuce Wraps with Basil-Mayo

California Turkey and Bacon Lettuce Wraps with Basil-Mayo is a fresh and filling low-carb meal that comes together in minutes!

Hello, hello! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun? :)

My Mom, Lincoln and I finally made it back to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. We’d only gone once together this summer, way back in June, and were long overdue for a visit. It felt great to be amongst the crowds and hit up all our favorite stands again. (Please notice the adorable chevron dress the gal walking in front of us was wearing. Isn’t it cute!? Wish I would have asked where she got it…)

We also had a celebrity sighting – Governer Chris Christie was unexpectedly there doing a meet and greet and my Mom made a beeline for him as soon as we figured out who was drawing the crowd. One second she was next to me then the next she was hand in hand with the Gov. It was as if she’d seen a member of The Monkees (her fave) or something! That is to say, she’s a big fan. ;)

After some sprinkler time and a nap that afternoon, Ben and I took Lincoln to see his first hot air balloon at the National Balloon Classic!

Neighboring Indianola, IA has had a hot air balloon festival for years now and it’s one of my favorite events of the summer. If you’re a long time reader than you may remember that my Mom and I took a ride in 2010, and jist thinking about the experience still gets me excited. There’s nothing like soaring over Iowa’s beautiful countryside from 5,000 feet!

It was approximately 1,000 degrees with no wind, but our sweaty little boy didn’t seem to mind. He loved the “boons” going “up, up, up!”

Obligatory bad pic with Mom!

Since there were a few storms in the area the balloons didn’t end up taking off for their evening flight until 7:30pm or so, but it was well worth the wait. It will never stop being amazing that one second these balloons are on the ground and the next they’re 100 yards in the air. Can you imagine if this was your hobby/livelihood? So cool! Locals: the balloon festival is going on all week so stop by to catch a flight if you can!

We drove home into the sunset, which had peeked out after the balloons took off (thank God not a minute before – the heat would have been unbearable!) driving past the race that was still taking place. Until next year, Indianola!

Er…the next day. Last night we headed to Summerset Winery, just down the road from the festival, for live music and vino, and took our dinners with us. California Turkey and Bacon Lettuce Wraps with Basil-Mayo, to be exact, which were the perfect light and summery meal to eat in this heat!

These lettuce wraps are my new favorite thing ever. They’re gluten-free, low carb, totally filling, fresh, and come together in about five minutes (though I speak from experience when I tell you they’ll take under one to demolish!)

Crunchy lettuce leaves replace flour tortillas in this easy gluten-free lunch, dinner, or hearty snack recipe, which are layered with deli turkey, a 30-second fresh Basil-Mayo, cooked bacon, and thinly sliced avocado and Roma tomatoes, then rolled and sliced. These lettuce wraps are cool, fresh and made extra special by the California-inspired combo of sliced avocado and Basil-Mayo in the mix. The flavors are AH-mazing!

The original intent for this recipe was to create an amped up BLT, which I guess it still is, but I think this lettuce wrap with hearty turkey and bacon can stand on its own. Trust me, try a bite and you’ll be making it over and over again.

Start by making the incredibly easy Basil-Mayo. All you have to do is add 6 leaves fresh basil that have been torn into a food processor with 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, salt, and pepper then process until smooth. That’s it! SO delicious. If you don’t have a food processor, you could probably use a blender or…just use Ranch dressing (Hidden Valley is gluten-free!) I am certainly not above it. #noshameinmyranchgame

Next microwave 4 slices of bacon. Yes I said microwave.

When it’s this hot out the microwave is my go to bacon cooker. Just layer the bacon on paper towels, cover with another layer of paper towels, and then cook for ONE MINUTE. That’s all it takes!

Time to assemble the lettuce wraps! You’ll need lettuce, of course – I chose a big head of iceberg lettuce. I look at iceberg lettuce completely different after witnessing them being hand-harvested in Monterey, California a few years ago. Such a cool experience! You can use whatever kind of lettuce you prefer, but iceberg will give you the biggest leaves in order to wrap up all the goodies inside.

Lay one lettuce leaf on a cutting board then add 1 slice deli turkey, followed by a slathering of the Basil-Mayo. I tried putting the mayo down directly on the lettuce leaf but it got soggy pretty quick so the turkey barrier is a very good thing. Next layer on 1 more slice of deli turkey followed by the cooked bacon.

This is my turkey of choice, by the way. I don’t buy meat from the deli counter at the grocery store because I don’t know if anything containing gluten has been sliced on the shared slicer. This Applegate Naturals Roasted Turkey Breast is not only gluten-free, but gets two thumbs up from both me and Lincoln in the taste department!

Finally, layer on a few thin slices of avocado and Roma tomato, then finish with a crack of salt and pepper on top.

Fold the bottom of the lettuce leaf up, then tuck in the sides and continue rolling like a burrito.

Slice in half then eat up!