Thanksgiving Leftovers

I love Thanksgiving leftovers as much as I love the meal itself. Our two favorite things to make with the leftover turkey are soup and salad.

1-1/2 cups leftover turkey meat, shredded

1/4 cup diced sweet onion

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup grapes, halved

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 cup diced apple
1 sprig of thyme, leaves pulled off
1 pinch hot pepper flakes
1 pinch of salt

1 small container greek yogurt (anything between 6 to 8 oz is fine)

Combine ingredients and stir. Serve on your favorite sandwich bread or eat it as a side.

My family isn't big on mayonnaise (it actually makes me sick) so the Greek yogurt is an awesome substitution. It adds tang, creaminess, and flavor without the fat and calories of mayo. So yummy! You can obviously adapt the recipe to your tastes. It's pretty full of fruits, but I love the crunch that the apple adds and the sweet and chewy texture of the cranberries but you could definitely go the savory route and add in bell peppers and cucumbers instead.

1 turkey wing (with bones, adds a ton of flavor)
1 cup leftover turkey meat, shredded
1-1/2 cups of stock (chicken, vegetable, turkey, what have you)
1 cup water
1 sprig of time, pull off leaves
6 or 7 sage leaves, finely chopped
1/4 onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
5 or 6 baby bell peppers or 1/2 regular sized bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 cup egg noodles (or whatever pasta you prefer)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Add vegetables (mirepoix + peppers) and the turkey wing to a hot pot with a bit of vegetable oil. Let the veggies cook a bit, until the onions are translucent and the celery seems tender. The turkey wing should get a bit of color. Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Let it cook for half an hour, to let the flavors meld and to allow the turkey bones to give as much flavor to the soup as it can. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We like to eat the soup with parmesan crostini. Just slice up some Italian or French bread into slices, butter them, and then sprinkle on some grated parmesan. Stick the bread in the broiler and toast to your desired brownness.

Yum!