Alternatives to the same old turkey sandwich leftovers
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the turkey sandwiches
made from leftovers. Nothing beats cranberry sauce spread onto a
slice of soft wheat bread, over mayo with some homemade turkey
slices on top. In fact, though we traditionally go to my aunt’s
house for Thanksgiving dinner, my immediate family always cooks a
turkey at home so we have plenty for leftovers. Even the pets
gather underfoot in the kitchen when we are making those
sandwiches, hoping for a little scrap of the leftover feast.
Alternatives to the same old turkey sandwich leftovers
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the turkey sandwiches made from leftovers. Nothing beats cranberry sauce spread onto a slice of soft wheat bread, over mayo with some homemade turkey slices on top. In fact, though we traditionally go to my aunt’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, my immediate family always cooks a turkey at home so we have plenty for leftovers. Even the pets gather underfoot in the kitchen when we are making those sandwiches, hoping for a little scrap of the leftover feast.
We don’t mess with the basic turkey sandwich much in my house, but it is good with a little cream cheese spread on one slice of bread and a piece of crisp lettuce thrown in for some crunch.
But I am sure there are some people out there who by dinner tonight will be burned out on the turkey sandwiches. That’s why Food Network put together a special last year that features several leftover ideas, with recipes for everything from extra sweet potatoes to turkey to stuffing. Some of them sounded really good, such as a turkey Milanese recipe created by Bobby Flay or a turkey hash dish by Guy Fieri. I wasn’t too keen on a fried stuffing appetizer, but we never have much stuffing left over anyway. All of the recipes from the episode can be found online at www.foodnetwork.com, for anyone who is interested.
Here are a few other recipes I found online on my search for alternatives to the turkey sandwich.
Polenta with turkey and mushrooms
Recipe courtesy of CDKitchen.com
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt, divided
2 c. cooked turkey, cubed
2 c. whole milk
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
fresh tarragon leaves for garnish
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, in hot olive oil, saute mushrooms, minced tarragon, pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt until mushrooms are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add cubed turkey and 1/3 cup water, stirring to loosen all browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Keep warm. Meanwhile, in a 3-quart saucepan, place 1/2 tsp salt and 1-1/3 cup milk; gradually whisk in cornmeal until smooth. In 2-quart saucepan, heat remaining 2/3 cup milk and 2 cup water to boiling over high heat; whisk into cornmeal mixture. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, whisking. Reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring, 5 minutes or until thick. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve polenta with turkey/mushroom mixture. Garnish each plate with a sprig of fresh tarragon leaves.
Mashed potato pancakes
Recipe courtesy of CDKitchen.com
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1/3 c. butter
4 c. cooked mashed potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. flour
Cook onion in pan in about half of the butter until onion is translucent. Remove onion from pan with a slotted spoon, allowing the melted butter and pan drippings to remain in the pan.
Combine onion, mashed potatoes and egg. Sprinkle with flour. Add remaining butter to pan and heat to medium/high heat. Add potato pancakes and cook about 5 minutes each side until browned.
Leftover mashed potatoes take on the consistency of concrete when refrigerated and you never know what to do with them. They are actually very good if you just warm them up and add a little more milk and/ or butter. But now you have a second option.
Cobb scramble
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com
1 Hass avocado
6 eggs
1/2 c. cooked turkey or chicken, chopped
2 slices turkey bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/4 c. bleu cheese
1/4 c. green onions, chopped
Rinse avocado, cut in half, and remove the pit. Spoon out flesh and cut into chunks. In medium bowl, beat eggs. Stir in avocado, turkey, bacon, bleu cheese and onions.
Heat non-stick skillet sprayed with pan coating over medium-high heat. Add egg-avocado mixture and scramble, stirring occasionally, until eggs are set but still moist.
Tex-Mex turkey soup
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
4 c. water
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 c. salsa
4 c. shredded cooked turkey
1 tbsp. dried parsley
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
2 c. frozen corn
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Toppings:
6 c. corn tortilla chips
3/4 c. chopped green onion
1 c. shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese blend
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. sour cream
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced onions and cook until onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Stir in water, tomato soup, diced tomatoes, salsa, shredded turkey, parsley and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until bouillon cubes dissolve. Add black beans, corn, sour cream and cilantro. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve soup with crushed tortilla chips, chopped green onion, shredded cheese and additional cilantro and sour cream.
