We continue with another quick meal with lots of vegetables involved. Another Asian-inspired meal blends the flavors of egg rolls with fried rice. The result is a beautifully colorful dish that's good for you too. It's also a great way to use leftover rice. Something lingering from actual take out is perfect, but so is the rice you made for under your last stir fry or burrito bowl.
If you don't want to use ground turkey, you can use ground pork or chicken too. I like the pork in this mix because it's leaner and lets the colorful veggies take center stage, so to speak. If you want, you can use a total of 6 cups of cabbage (mix and match colors too) if you don't have or enjoy kale. If zucchini isn't your thing, add another pepper - again, consider a different color. You get the idea!
This is a meal in and of itself, but you could always add any of the standard Asian sides: potstickers, spring rolls, even crab rangoons! I like to have hot tea with this quick and easy dish and make a big batch so I have leftovers for lunches. In fact, sometimes I will make extra rice to make dishes just like this! However you choose to make and serve it, enjoy and congratulations on eating the rainbow!
Turkey Egg Roll Fried Rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
- 3 cups coarsely chopped cabbage - I used a brilliant purple cabbage, but red or green will also work well
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded
- 2-3 cups day old chilled rice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (for gluten free)
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ground turkey and diced yellow pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the meat is cooked through and the pepper is tender - about 8 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the cabbage, kale, green onions, zucchini, and carrot. Stir fry lightly until the vegetables are crisp-tender - 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice - adding additional olive oil if needed - and stir fry until the rice is warmed through and a little crisped at the edges - about 8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Taste and season additionally as needed.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes