What to do with those Leftovers

Thanksgiving has come and gone. You ate a lot, but now you still have plenty of leftovers. Luckily, if you have Turkey leftover you can make plenty of healthy and exciting new dishes (unfortunately you can’t really turn mashed potatoes and stuffing into anything healthy). Below are some ideas and recipes for what to do with some of those leftovers:
A FEW LEFTOVER IDEAS:
1. Use leftover fresh veggies from your appetizer plate and stir fry them with turkey and your favorite Asian sauce (Soy, Soy Vay!, etc.)
2. Use leftover canned pumpkin and mix with cottage cheese (or fat-free ricotta), a dash of vanilla, sweetener (honey, agave, splenda), cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice for a delicious treat! Mix in fat free whipped topping for an even creamier dessert.
3. Mix in leftover cranberry sauce into plain yogurt, cottage cheese or oatmeal as a sweetener.

RECIPES (My picks from Cooking Light):

1. CURRY TURKEY SALAD

This is a great way to mix up the traditional Thanksgiving Turkey flavor. I recommend using whole wheat pita rounds (available at Trader Joe’s or Wegman’s). -Kelly

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup salad and 5 pitas)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  reduced-fat sour cream
• 2  tablespoons  plain yogurt
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  honey
• 1  teaspoon  curry powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  cups  chopped cooked turkey
• 1  cup  seedless red grapes, halved
• 1/2  cup  diced celery
• 1/4  cup  chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  cashew pieces
• 20  mini pita rounds (about 5 ounces, such as Toufayan Pitettes)

Preparation

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add turkey, grapes, celery, onion, and cashews; stir gently to combine. Serve with pitas.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 309 (21% from fat), Fat: 7.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.2g,poly 1.7g), Protein: 25.5g, Carbohydrate: 35.3g, Fiber: 2g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Iron: 2.8mg, Sodium: 419mg, Calcium: 83mg

 

SOURCE: Elizabeth Taliaferro, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004

2.  TURKEY CHILI

*I recommend using brown rice and your leftover turkey (not ground) to give this dish an extra nutritional boost. Also, since the beans contain plenty of carbohydrates, the rice is not necessary to balance out this meal… so you can omit or just decrease. -Kelly

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups chili, 1/2 cup rice, and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 1  (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
• 1  tablespoon  vegetable oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 3/4  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2  pound  ground turkey breast
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeño peppers and spices, undrained
• 1  (5.5-ounce) can tomato juice
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) preshredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. While rice cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and turkey, and cook 3 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder and the next 8 ingredients (chili powder through tomato juice); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve over rice, and sprinkle with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 380 (26% from fat), Fat: 10.5g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.6g,poly 3.3g), Protein: 21.4g, Carbohydrate: 51g, Fiber: 11.2g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Iron: 4mg,  Sodium: 739mg, Calcium: 125mg,

Source: Barbara Seelig Brown, Cooking Light, MARCH 2004