My kids have never been adventurous eaters. Granted, they are now better than they used to be, but their palettes are still limited for twenty-somethings. As the kids were growing up, we had household standard meals that were served each week, which included burgers, taco night, and some sort of pasta dish.
We shared custody of the kids, so on “non-boy weeks,” as my wife and I called them, I would try new recipes. After we ate the dish, we could then determine if it would pass the kid test. This dish is both sweet and savory, and because the veggies are mixed into the meat and sauce, I think many kids would like it—maybe even mine!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 2 small to medium red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 broccoli crown, chopped
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- 1 Tablespoon of oil, I use avocado oil
Sauce:
- ½ cup low sodium, gluten-free soy sauce
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Begin by prepping the veggies, rinsing, and chopping, starting with the carrot. Using a large skillet, place the chopped carrot in the skillet with a sprinkling of oil over medium heat as you continue to prep and prepare the other veggies as listed in the ingredients list above.
Fold the ground turkey and the remaining veggies, cover the skillet, and keep the medium heat setting going. Check on the ingredients in the skillet every so often, stirring and breaking apart the ground turkey as you prepare the sauce.
Prepare the instant brown rice according to the package directions. I made mine in the microwave, so I had fewer pots and pans to clean up afterward.
In a medium bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and whisk together until the honey is smooth and everything looks mixed together.
Uncover the skillet, break apart the meat, and check that all of the meat is cooked through; no pink parts remain. Once the meat is cooked through, add the sauce to the skillet and stir. Lower your heat setting to low and continue stirring for less than 5 minutes so that the meat absorbs the juices of the sauce. (You will still see some of the sauce at the bottom of the skillet.)
Scoop a serving of rice into a bowl and top with the meat, veggies, and sauce. ENJOY!
