Egg Roll Bowl (with a twist!)

Egg rolls are some seriously glorious food!  I could eat my weight in Chinese food!  These deconstructed egg rolls, or egg roll bowls are so healthy and low cal you pretty much could eat your weight in a giant mixing bowl of this goodness!



There are several very tasty recipes for this sort of dish on the interwebs, but I would like to think mine is a bit different.  I use lean ground turkey sausage and, wait for it, LENTILS!  Yep, I cook up about a half cup dry (makes about a cup once cooked) of lentils with the same seasoning used to season spicy sausage!  Lentils are great because they really take on the flavor of whatever you cook them with.  I have been using them for all sorts of stuff!  They are lower in calories then lean meat, but still packed full of protein, and loads of fiber!  They are also cheaper then meat and of course better for the environment.  I like to mix in beans and lentils to stretch out a pound of ground beef or turkey to save money.  I am feeding 5 hungry males in this house so I find ways to stretch a meal!


If you think you wont like lentils mixed into your dishes I dare you to try them first.  Don't tell your family.  Cook your ground meat and mix in the cooked lentils and I am confident no one will even know they are in there!  It's like magic!

Seasoning for "sausage" lentils (you can make these ahead of time, make in bulk and freeze in portions if that's your thing)
2 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp ground fennel or 1 tsp whole fennel
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic 
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you don't like heat)
1/2 cup dried lentils (I have only ever used green.  That is what I see at my local grocery store readily available)

1 tsp better then bullion AND
1 and 1/2 water OR
1 and 1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock (I like better then bullion and water to cook my lentils but if you want to use homemade or boxed stock that is perfectly fine)

2 tsp sesame oil
cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey sausage (I like spicy Italian for this)
1 md onion, diced
8 ounces chopped white mushrooms (I know there are not mushrooms in eggs rolls, but we love them, they add texture and flavor and very few calories.)
6 to 8 cloves of minced garlic
2 large chopped carrots AND
8 cups chopped green cabbage OR
2 bags of cabbage slaw with carrots (This is obviously the faster easier way.  I used the cabbage head and whole carrots because it's what I had.)
1/2 cup liquid amino or soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup green onions, chopped

First, cooking the lentils:

In a small sauce pan bring water (with bullion) or stock to a boil, add rinsed dry lentils, turn down to simmer, add all the "sausage" seasonings, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender and nearly all the liquid is absorbed.  Set aside.

In a large pot spray with cooking spray and add sesame oil and bring to md low heat.  Add onion and mushrooms, sauté.  Once onions are translucent add minced garlic and carrots.  I like my carrots to still have some crunch so I don't cook them long.  Maybe a minute.  2 tops.  Add ground turkey and brown.  add ground ginger and the cooked lentils, mix and add cabbage and soy sauce and mix.  I also like my cabbage to have crunch so this is only a minute or two also.  I like to plate it and add the green onion to the top of each serving.  A little rooster sauce tops this dish off perfectly!


*This dish makes 8 cup and a half size servings and is only about 150 calories!  a huge pile of this stuff is like 300 calories!  Sweet glorious goodness!





Comments

Popular Posts