Taco Rice Bowl

Well, it's obvious I've been into bowls lately! And, what's not to love? Bowls have all the flavors of an original dish, but the ingredients are separated. I can either mix them together with my fork, or I can add a little of this and a little of that and get fun taste explosions of a different sort with each bite. This bowl is inspired by a bowl that I had at an LA taco place. It's Trejo's Tacos, and I enjoyed an incredible bowl at their La Brea location --- yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked brown rice
1 12 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 turkey burgers, broken into pieces, and cooked with 1/4 cup chopped onion & 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 cup chopped tomatoes, or fresh pico de gallo sauce
1 cup frozen corn, sauted with 1/4 cup chopped red pepper, 1 Tbs. minced jalapeno, and 2 Tbs.         chopped sweet onion
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce or cabbage slaw
1 avocado, seeded and smashed with a squeeze of lime, with a fork
4 lime slices
4 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Directions:

Cook the turkey burgers and frozen corn. If you don't have leftover brown rice, I've found that Seeds of Change brown basmati rice is quite good and cooks in the microwave in 90 seconds. Fill 4 bowls with 1/4 of each of the ingredients: some of the rice, beans, turkey, tomatoes, corn, lettuce,  guacamole and lime slice. Top each bowl with some the chopped cilantro and serve.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Here's another recipe that was inspired by a trip and the excellent food at a restaurant. Whenever I cook it, the family gets to relive that experience! I have (of course) lightened this significantly. The Seeds of Change brand basmati rice is low in fat and sodium, unlike many brands of prepared rice. Draining and rinsing the black beans removes much of the sodium. Turkey burgers, when cooked with just some chili powder and onion is quite healthy. Substituting simply chopped tomatoes or fresh pico de gallo increases vegetables and decreases fats and sodium. Also, using a fresh avocado as opposed to premade guacamole ups the healthy quotient! Whew! Simple makeover, but don't tell!