HASTY TASTY MEALS BLOG

November 25, 2011 · 5:46 pm

Turkey leftovers? No problem!

For the holidays, I’m recapping some of our favorite turkey leftover recipes. Remember, it’s easy to shred leftover meat in the Vitamix, food processor, or mixer. I use shredded leftover turkey to make turkey salad, turkey burritos, and turkey barbecue sandwiches.

RECIPE

Turkey BBQ Sandwiches
Serves 2
(I serve these with Cole Slaw made using the Vitamix)

Ingredients:
1 cup shredded turkey dark meat
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce of choice
2 whole wheat burger buns

Directions:
Combine turkey and barbecue sauce in a one quart pan. Cover and place over low heat for gentle heating. After mixture is completely warmed through, remove pan from heat and serve on the burger buns.

RECIPE

Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves 4-5

(I use a Kitchen Craft covered skillet, but this recipe can be baked in a conventional oven. I prefer the electric skillet because the entire dish is prepared in one pot, reducing clean-up time in the kitchen. Also, a quality liquid core electric skillet uses less energy than an oven):

Dry sauté in the skillet:

1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced

After the mushrooms have browned, add:

1½ cups cooked turkey, cubed
4 oz. uncooked angel hair pasta, spread evenly across vegetables and chicken in skillet (or 1½ quart baking dish)

In a 1 pint measuring pitcher, blend:

1 10 ¾ oz. can Campbell’s® 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pour soup mixture over turkey and pasta. Be sure all pasta is covered.

If using a skillet, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Do NOT remove lid to peek. If baking, cover casserole with foil and cook in a pre-heated 375°F oven for 30 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped fresh parsley and additional parmesan cheese if desired. Serve with a garden salad and whole grain bread. Serves 4.

With the rising cost of canned goods, I’ve started canning my own turkey stock, which is easy using the pressure cooker and freezer-safe, pint canning jars. But whether you make your own stock or buy it, you’ll enjoy making soup from leftover turkey. Here’s one suggestion, Turkey Noodle Soup:

RECIPE

Turkey Noodle Soup

Makes 4 servings

In a 3 quart pot over medium heat, add

2 teaspoons olive oil
brown for 5 minutes:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
4 stalks celery (including the leaves), sliced
1 bell pepper (any color, but I use red), seeded and chopped

Add:

1 quart turkey stock or chicken broth
1 cup water
Seasonings – your choice
1 ½ cups cooked turkey, cubed

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Don’t remove the lid and you’ll be able to cook on the lowest setting.

About 10 minutes before serving, add:

1 cup dry whole wheat noodles, or any whole wheat pasta

Taste test for seasonings. You may want to add salt or pepper. When the noodles are al dente, serve the soup.

The beauty of this recipe is the cooking time is flexible. The soup can simmer for 20 minutes or a couple of hours because the starchy pasta isn’t added until the last 10 minutes. It’s a light, healthy meal for those days following the overindulgence of a holiday meal. Double or triple the recipe and feed a crowd on a cold night.

One more tip: You can adapt this for the slow cooker. Add the pasta in during the last hour and turn to Low.

Here’s one I modified from a GE recipe. Theirs is baked in a casserole dish, but I use the electric skillet.

RECIPE

Turkey Cashew Casserole
Serves 6

In a pre-heated electric skillet, melt:

1 Tablespoon butter

Sauté for five minutes:

2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion, chopped

Add:

5 cups cubed cooked turkey

Mix together in a large mixing pitcher or bowl:

1 cup turkey or chicken broth
2 cans reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
dash of hot sauce

Pour over chicken and cover. Simmer (220°) for 20-25 minutes (or bake in a casserole dish at 350° for 30 minutes in a traditional oven).

Sprinkle cooked casserole with:

1 cup cashews
10 oz. chow-mein noodles

Serve and enjoy!

I saved my favorite for last, turkey burritos! This recipe can be adjusted according to how much leftover turkey you have.

RECIPE

Turkey Burritos
Makes 6

Preheat oven to 375°. In a medium bowl combine:

1 cup shredded cooked turkey
1 can Rotel® tomatoes and green chiles
1 cup reduced-fat shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning (or your choice)

Mix together and divide into six equal portions. Fill each of the:

6 whole wheat tortillas

with a portion of the mixture. Wrap tortilla around mixture into a roll. Place burritos in a 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and uncover. After 5 minutes, remove each burrito from the casserole dish and serve.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!

3 Comments

Filed under Burritos, casseroles, cooking, Healthful Eating, Recipes, Soups & Stews, turkey, Turkey Recipes

Tagged as holidays, leftovers, Recipes, turkey, Vitamix

November 19, 2011 · 12:21 pm

LET’S TALK TURKEY…again

(Encore from last year by request)

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with these famous TV chefs and their elaborate instructions for making the perfect holiday turkey. Folks, it doesn’t have to be difficult or intimidating. About the only thing I agree with them on is the use of a good thermometer. Here is how I cook my holiday turkey, and it’s always moist and delicious.

First, buy the smallest turkey possible. If you’re having lots of guests, buy two small turkeys or one turkey and a breast. Be sure to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator completely, which can take several days. When I cook the turkey on Thanksgiving (or Christmas) morning, I’ve already prepped it the night before by removing the giblets (and whatever else is stuffed in its cavity) and patting the skin dry with paper towels.

I preheat the oven to 325°, sprinkle salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning on the outside and inside the cavity, stick an onion quarter and celery stick inside, then get my roasting pan ready. I use a stainless steel covered roasting pan, but one of those roasting bags works great, too. In the bottom of the roasting pan I build a “rack” of celery, onion, and carrots. I place the turkey (breast side up) on the vegetables (They keep the bird elevated from the bottom of the pan, but you may also use a roasting rack if you have one). Then I pour about three cups of water into the bottom of the pan around the bird. This water steams the turkey to keep it moist and later becomes the drippings for your gravy.

I don’t stuff the bird with anything else but fresh herbs. It’s easier to make the dressing the day before using chicken stock or broth. Then I pop it in the oven to finish after I’ve cooked the turkey. Leftover dressing has a longer and safer storage life if it isn’t cooked inside the bird.

Don’t worry about stuff like starting out at a high temperature to brown the turkey’s skin or rubbing butter beneath the skin. If you cook low and slow, the bird won’t dry out. As for the skin, you shouldn’t be eating it, anyway! It’s loaded with saturated fat you don’t need. You should skin the bird before you carve it to serve.

Cook the turkey for twenty minutes per pound but pull the roaster from the oven early to test the temperature. If it’s at least 160° inside temperature, take the roasting pan out, keep it covered, and set it somewhere to “rest” for at least half an hour, or until internal temperature reaches 180°F. Residual cooking will bring the turkey meat to the desired temperature without overcooking it.

How simple is that? Good luck and happy Thanksgiving!

UPDATE: I followed these instuctions except omitted the water and the bird turned out great. So the addition of water for steaming is optional. There is enough liquid from the vegetables to create steam.

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with a Secret Ingredient

A common complaint I hear about making sandwiches with 100% whole wheat bread is the toughness of the bread. Whole wheat bread can be dense and chewy, and what most people want for a sandwich is light and tender. Yet there is little nutrition in white bread, and almost no fiber.

After experimenting in the Hasty Tasty Meals Kitchen, I’ve found a way to make whole wheat bread with the right texture for sandwiches. Whether you have a bread machine or you use a Vitamix or your hands, try this recipe. You’ll need a 12 oz. can of beer (and no, it’s not for the cook! :D)

RECIPE

Whole Wheat Beer Bread

Ingredients:

12 oz can beer, room temperature (pull the tab so it goes flat)

2 Tbsp. honey

2 Tbsp. molasses

½ stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. wheat germ

½ cup gluten

2½ tsp. yeast

Directions:

Add all ingredients in order listed to the bread machine pan. Select “Wheat” setting and hit “Start.” Approximately three and a half hours later, you’ll have tasty whole wheat bread. Remove immediately from the bread pan and allow to cool before slicing.

If you don’t use a bread machine, make the dough (I’ve omitted dough making instructions, but if you have a Vitamix, follow the directions in your Vitamix book) and let it rise. Knead and let it rise again. Bake in a buttered loaf pan at 350° for about 40 minutes or until done. Loaf is fully baked when you thump it and it sounds hollow. Remove loaf from pan and allow it to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.

You will be delighted with the airy softness of this whole wheat bread. Enjoy!

Make Your Own Sausage

Red meat isn’t bad for you (in moderation), but processed meat is. All processed meats. The additives used in curing can be toxic in large amounts. Unfortunately, I like cured foods, stuff like lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage… I rarely eat processed meats now, yet I surely miss sausage. Sausage is a tasty ingredient in so many of my favorite dishes, such as jambalaya.

One day while watching a segment of Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals in which she turned ground meat into sausage, I was motivated to try making my own. I took it a step further and ground my own meat, which is easy using my Vita-mix machine. The result: delicious sausage without nitrites or nitrates. I love being in control of my food. 🙂

Here is how I made a pound (4 servings) of sausage:

Ingredients:

1 pound lean meat (your choice)
1 Tbsp. ground sage
1 Tbsp. steak seasoning blend Mrs. Dash
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. fennel seeds
1/4 cup minced celery, onion, and bell pepper*
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

*You can mince these in your Vita-mix.

Directions:

I raided my freezer and found 2 top sirloins (approximately 4 oz. each) and 2 boneless pork chops (same size). I thawed them in my refrigerator.
I sliced the meat into 1″ cubes.
I turned on the Vita-mix to Variable Speed 5 then dropped in about a third of the meat.
I ran the Vita-mix about 20 seconds then dumped the ground meat into a bowl.
I repeated the process twice more (grinding meat in batches is actually faster).
Into the bowl of ground steak and pork I added my spices and seasonings.
Using my hands, I mixed the ingredients well, taking care not to overwork the meat.
The sausage was ready to cook.

How simple and easy. Now if I can figure out how to make links . . .

HASTY TASTY MEALS BLOG

Turkey leftovers? No problem!

RECIPE

RECIPE

RECIPE

RECIPE

RECIPE

LET’S TALK TURKEY…again

Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread with a Secret Ingredient

RECIPE

Make Your Own Sausage