ground turkey taco bowls

Our lighter take on taco Tuesday involves cauliflower rice, a bright lime vinaigrette, seasoned ground turkey + all the fixings. This always hits the spot when we’re craving Mexican but features a ton of vegetables to keep it fresh and light. 

It may seem like there are a lot of steps and ingredients, but we promise it’s much easier than it looks. It takes about 1 hour from start to finish, but each component of the bowl can be made in advance, so with a little meal prep, it can be a 5-minute weeknight dinner. For the quickest variation, you can also replace the ground turkey with shredded store-bought organic rotisserie chicken, black beans or a veggie burger (such as Hilary’s)!

Ground turkey taco bowls
Serves 2 (with additional for leftovers)

note: to make this a heartier meal, we like to roast sweet potato fries while preparing the rest of the meal: preheat oven to 425 degrees, slice 1-2 sweet potatoes into even sized spears or “fries,” and toss with 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a dash each of chili powder and cumin, and sea salt and pepper to taste. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping half-way through

Ingredients
for the balsamic-lime vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
pinch fine sea salt

for the avocado mash:
1 ripe avocado
Juice of 1/8 lime
Dash of ground cumin and chili powder
Freshly ground sea salt to taste

for the cauliflower rice:
1 12-16 oz. package frozen cauliflower rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

for the turkey
1 lb. ground organic turkey
1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup water

to assemble:
2-4 cups shredded romaine lettuce (1 head = ~3 cups shredded romaine)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (~12-15 cherry tomatoes)
freshly minced cilantro or sliced scallions to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. First prepare romaine and cherry tomatoes:

   • Thinly slice romaine into ribbons, rinse and dry well. Wrap in a kitchen towel or paper towel and place in the refrigerator to crisp.

   • Halve cherry tomatoes (optional: add a pinch of sea salt and toss to bring out flavor). Set aside in a bowl and refrigerate while you prepare the remaining items.

2. Prepare the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine. Set aside.

3. Make the avocado mash: mash together all ingredients in a small bowl, adding additional lime, spices and salt to taste. Set aside (note: placing plastic wrap directly on top of the avocado so that it touches the surface as to not allow air in will help prevent browning)

4. Make the cauliflower rice: warm 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add frozen cauliflower rice and a few grinds each of sea salt and pepper and sauté until all of the water has been absorbed and the cauliflower rice is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

5. Make the ground turkey:

   • Wipe clean the skillet that you used to sauté the cauliflower rice and return to stovetop.

   • Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and add the ground turkey, sea salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with the edge of a spoon, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes.

   • Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and oregano, stirring until spices are fragrant and incorporated into the meat, 1-2 minutes.

   • Add the tomato paste and stir to combine with the meat, then, add the water and cook, stirring until well combined and there are no longer clumps of tomato paste in the meat.

   • Remove from heat.

6. Assemble bowls. Place in each bowl:

   • 3/4-1 cup cooked cauliflower rice

   • 1 cup (or more) shredded romaine, drizzled with 1 tablespoon vinaigrette.

   • 1/4 cup (women) or 1/2 cup (men) ground turkey mixture

   • 1-2 tablespoons avocado mash

   • 1/4 cup cherry tomato halves

   • Minced cilantro or scallions to garnish (optional)

7. Drizzle with hot sauce, if using, and toss to combine. Enjoy!