Worms and Eyeballs
If a fussy eater in your family wants to know, "What's in this?" just say, "Worms and eyeballs – hungry?" This tasty meal makes any day seem as spooky as Halloween night! Boo!
Ingredients
- 1 pound bucatini (hollow spaghetti that looks just like worms)
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese-style barbecue sauce, available on the Asian foods aisle at the grocery store)
- Salt and fresh black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup snow pea pods, cut into pieces with kitchen scissors or knife
- 1/2 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)
Preparation
Have a grown-up helper (GH) pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
Cut off about a quarter of the bell pepper and have your grown-up helper (GH) finely chop it. Slice the rest of the pepper yourself.
Combine the chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, finely chopped red bell pepper, hoisin sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Roll the chicken mixture into meatballs the size of "eyeballs" and place them on a nonstick cookie sheet, coated lightly with one tablespoon of vegetable oil. Roast the chicken "eyeballs" for 10-12 minutes.
Wash your hands after handling the raw chicken mixture.
When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, until al dente, that is, with a bite left to it – just like Dracula would, right?
When the pasta is almost cooked through and the meatballs are about five minutes from coming out of the oven, start stir frying the veggies. If you are not used to cooking at the stove, ask your GH do the stir frying of the veggies – you can hand them the veggies as they need them. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the remaining two tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the sliced red bell pepper, carrots, sprouts and pea pods. Stir fry the veggies for one minute.
Have your GH drain the noodles and add the pasta "worms" to the veggies. Next, you can pour in the Tamari while your GH tosses the "worms" and veggies to combine and evenly coat.
Transfer the "worms" to a serving platter. Remove the "eyeballs" from the oven and roll them on top of the worms, then serve.
This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, visit
www.yum-o.org.
