Lettuce Cup Turkey Tacos & Veggie Wild Rice Skillet
After getting home from Italy I have been in simple healthy meal mode. I have admittedly had a LOT of ground turkey beacuase its easy (meatballs, meatloaf, tacos etc) but this meal was truly a masterful creation from things I had on hand. The only things I bought were the pinto beans (I had white beans in the pantry but wanted pinto) and two ripe avocados. Otherwise I scoured the pantry and fridge and made this delicious meal all while Ford napped :-) This could be modicfied and adapted for any protein, legume, and veggie combo that you have already stocked! Plus you could add canned tomatoes to your taco filling or use flour/corn tortillas instead.
What I Used:
1lb ground turkey thigh
1/2 can rinsed/drained pinto beans
1 head of Gotham Greens Butter Lettuce (as my tortillas)
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 package Trader Joe’s Frozen Wild Rice
1/2 cup Chicken Stock (I used Better Than Bouillon)
3 Tbsp Taco Seasoning (I use Spice Mode Mexican Seasoning)
2 avocados
1 lime worth of juice
1 Tbsp cumin
salt, pepper, oil
How To:
For the Taco Filling: Brown the ground turkey thigh in oil over high heat in a pan. Once browned add the taco seasoning and turn down the heat and continue to mix. Set aside until ready to serve (this takes about 10 minutes, if you do it ahead of time put it in the fridge and reheat adding the pinto beans later). I did this in a Le Creuset with a lid so I put the whole thing in the fridge and when I warmed it up on the stove I added a Tbsp of water and the pinto beans to allow everything to warm/steam.
For the Rice: Sauté the diced veggies (carrot & zucchini in this case) over medium/high heat and a drizzle of oil. Add salt, pepper, and a Tbsp of cumin while sautéing. Once golden/soft add the Frozen Rice package and toss together. Then add the 1/2 cup of chicken stock, cover and let simmer lightly for a few minutes. You can also set this aside and warm it up before serving or serve right away.
To Serve: Portion out the turkey/pinto bean filling into your lettuce cups or tortillas and top with honked avocado tossed in lime & salt. Add a big scoop of the veggie rice and enjoy! Top with other optional items like fresh cilantro, onion, or sour cream.
