Introducing Turkey...

I have learned so much in the mere 5 days that Glenn and Amelia have been here. In case you missed my last post, Kyle and I have friends from Australia living in our living room for 13 days. We have enjoyed showing them around Indiana and Chicago, but what we love most is hearing about where they live and the differences between Australia and the US. For example, high fructose corn syrup is ILLEGAL there! Every health freak's dream! That means all products with it are banned (ie. Pop Tarts). I personally have enjoyed watching their faces as they browse the candy aisle at the grocery store. Amelia is amazed by all of the different kinds we have. I'm sure by next Wednesday she will try a lot of them, or take them back with her.

We introduced Amelia to fro-yo. Her life has changed.

I also introduced Glenn and Amelia to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I couldn't believe that they don't eat them in Australia! Don't worry, they instantly fell in love with the combo, and made me feel like I was a gourmet chef for introducing them to America's go-to sandwich. I'm sure in the next week we will open their eyes to even more different American foods.

In Australia they don't eat a lot of ground turkey, so I decided to make Burrito Bowls (my favorite ground turkey dish). A lot of burrito bowls that you see on menus rack in a ton of calories because they are made with beef, a lot of cheese, sour cream, and heaps of rice. You don't have to worry about that with this meal, though. In my burrito bowls I use quinoa to boost the protein content and lean ground turkey to reduce the total fat. If you aren't a big fan of meat like me, you can also make this with tofu! It is equally delicious. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

                                                                         Burrito Bowls
                                                                             Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
1/4 C Salsa (Medium or Mild depending on your desired heat)
1 T Chili Powder
1 T Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
1 Green Pepper, Chopped
1 C Quinoa
3 C Water
1 Can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
1 T Chopped Cilantro

Additional toppings: Cheddar Cheese, Low Fat Sour Cream, Hot Sauce, Salsa, Baked Tortilla Chips

Start Cooking

1. In a medium skillet, brown the turkey. Once it has been cooked all the way through, add the salsa, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder.Add salt and pepper to taste.Set aside.
2. In a medium pot, cook the quinoa with 3 C of water over medium high heat until the grain has spouted and all of the water is absorbed. Set aside.
3. Saute the peppers and onions over medium high heat until they are caramelized. This will take 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
4. Now it's time to make the bowls. Grab 4 bowls and divide the quinoa equally between the bowls. Layer on top of the quinoa with the turkey, onions/peppers, and black beans. Top each bowl with a little cilantro, and add additional toppings if you desire.
5. Mix the bowl up and enjoy!