"When my little brother Galen was a baby, he was allergic to a lot of foods. He couldn't eat wheat, dairy, or eggs. That meant no pizza or macaroni and cheese. My mom spent a lot of time trying to find nutritious foods that he could eat," says Rose. "She used to serve a pork and tofu dish over rice. I was inspired by that dish when I made this recipe. It can be served with brown rice, but I like to eat it with lots of veggies and sliced oranges on the side. You can also make this with ground beef or turkey." - Rose Scott, age 12, California

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons white or rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 1 block firm tofu, drained well and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 heads romaine lettuce, cleaned and separated into leaves
• Toppings: 1 bag broccoli slaw (undressed), plus bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, fresh mint, and lime slices

Preparation:

1. Make the sauce; In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, vinegar, ginger, sugar, and garlic.
2. In a medium sauté pan over moderately high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the ground pork and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess oil from the pan then add the sauce to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the tofu and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.
3. To serve, scoop several heaping tablespoons of the pork and tofu mixture into each romaine lettuce "cup" then top with broccoli slaw, bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, and lime slices.

180 calories; 22g protein; 5g carbohydrates; 7g fat (1.5g saturated fat); 283mg sodium

More information about the Kids' State Dinner:

• Check out the other winning 2013 Kids' State Dinner Recipes here.
• Learn more about Kids' State Dinner here.