An out of this world Turkey taco rice bowl with sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado crema and brown rice. Healthy, delicious and full of paprika and cumin flavors. Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free. Might seem like a lot of ingredients but whole thing is ready in 40 minutes start to finish.ย
I pretty much never make tacos. Which is actually a huge shame because I love them. Growing up I remember going over to my friend’s house for taco night and seriously looking forward to it. Those hard shells were my favorite. Something about the smell and that nice crunch.
Since I actually didn’t have any taco shells at home, or the standard taco ingredients I decided to come up with my own turkey taco rice bowl instead.
Brown rice as the base — I mean I used to hate brown rice, always opting for the white version but now, I do not know what has happened to me. I can only eat brown rice now. It seems to have so much more depth of flavor. Thoughts?
Instead of ground beef, I had ground turkey at home — which I always prefer to beef so I browned that and tossed in a few spices. During those hard shell taco days I would have the taco seasoning packets as my spices, though now that I’m all grown up, I just toss in some paprika, cumin, and cayenne myself. No packets needed.
For some more substance I cooked up some roasted sweet potatoes and pan sauteed black beans. All with the same awesome spice medley.
Smoked paprika, hot paprika, cayenne and cumin. Those four spices right there might be my new favorites. Lightly charred cubed soft sweet potatoes pair perfectly with the spicy turkey, and smooth beans.
And for the finishing touch – the star of the Turkey taco rice bowl- the avocado crema.
Avocado everything is just about the best part of the meal for me always, but I wanted to do something real special for this turkey taco rice bowl – not just sliced up avocados.
Into the food processor I tossed avocado, garlic, lime juice, coconut milk, olive oil and salt. Let that whir together for a magical creamy sauce that brings the whole dish together.
I even went the extra mile for the food photoshoot and put the avocado crema in a ziplock bag, cut off the end and nicely drizzled the dressing onto the plate — instead of just having large gloopy spooned globs – as I did for the non photographed version.
Overall this turkey taco rice bowl was a hit with everyone (well my parents and myself). All the flavors blended and complemented each other perfectly and though it might be hard to believe with so many ingredients and different components these turkey taco rice bowl with avocado crema came together in 40 minutes.
Forty minutes from start to finish for your new favorite dinner. Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free and if you omit the turkey (or use tofu in it’s place) this dish will be vegan.
An out of this world Turkey taco rice bowl with sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado crema and brown rice. Healthy, delicious and full of paprika and cumin flavors. Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free. Might seem like a lot of ingredients but whole thing is ready in 40 minutes start to finish.
- For the sweet potatoes:
- 5 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed (about 3 and 1/2 cups)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the turkey:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- For the Black Beans:
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- For the Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown rice cooked according to package directions
- Garnish with sliced red onion and chopped cilantro.
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To prepare the sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt. Spread in single layer on aluminum foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes (stirring once).
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To prepare the ground turkey, heat oil over medium heat and cook turkey until browned and cooked through. Add cayenne, paprika, salt and cumin. Mix. If mixture feels dry add a bit of water.
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To prepare the black beans, heat oil over medium heat and cook onion until translucent. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add black beans, cumin and salt. Cook for a few minutes.
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To make the avocado crema in a food processor combine avocado, garlic, lime juice, coconut milk, oil and salt. Process until smooth.
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Serve brown rice, topped with black beans, ground turkey, sweet potatoes and avocado crema. Top with chopped red onions and cilantro.
Linda says
Have always wanted to make this.
Rose Martine says
This so AMAZING! This is a dish that I would totally make for myself and probably keep for myself. My grandmother used to make something similar when I was a little girl.
Vicky says
Thanks so much!