By Sherrie Norris
By the time you read this, you probably are already “stuffed,” or will be within a few hours, and the last thing on your mind is more turkey.
Most of us end up with plenty of turkey and ham and all the sides left over from the main event on Thursday, but we quickly tire of turkey sandwiches by Saturday. Hopefully, our suggestions will help you put your leftovers to good use. More than that, we hope, too, that you are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with those close to your heart.
Turkey Tarragon Pitas
½ cup lemon yogurt
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
¼ tsp. dried tarragon leaves, finely crushed
2 cups fully-cooked turkey, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1 cup green grapes, sliced in half
2 whole-wheat pitas
4 pieces leaf lettuce
In medium bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise and tarragon. Fold in turkey and grapes; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Trim tops from mini pita pockets (or cut 6-inch pitas in half); line inside of pitas with lettuce. Carefully fill pitas with turkey mixture.
White Turkey Chili
1 Tsp. oil
¼ cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
4 cups cooked turkey, chopped
2 cans (15.5 oz.) Great Northern beans, drained
2 cans (11 oz.) corn, undrained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
4 cups turkey or chicken broth
1 tsp. ground cumin
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery, cook and stir 2-3 minutes. Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir well. Cover and cook about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally until thoroughly heated.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, if desired.
Brown Rice Turkey Soup
1 cup diced sweet red pepper
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
3 cans (14 ½ oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 cup instant brown rice
¼ cup sliced green onions
In a Dutch oven, saute the red pepper, onion, celery and garlic in butter for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the broth, wine or additional broth, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in turkey and rice. Bring to a boil; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Garnish with green onions.
Turkey Burgers
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 small apple, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ cup cranberry sauce
Lettuce
Mix ground turkey, poultry seasoning, apple, onion, and celery together. Form into burgers and grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 4-5 minutes on each size. In small bowl, mix mayonnaise and cranberry sauce together. Serve burgers on buns; top with cranberry mixture and lettuce.
Chilled Turkey Rice Salad
2 cups cooked turkey, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup cooked rice
2 green onions, chopped
½ tsp. curry powder
4 tsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste
¼ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped celery
¾ cup mayonnaise
Lettuce
Combine all ingredients, except lettuce, and refrigerate overnight. Serve on lettuce leaves.