Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate all that is good in our lives. Those of us who live in Canada have so much to be grateful for. Our families, easy access to healthy food and our freedom are the first things that come to mind. However, roast turkey with all the fixings is also at the top of my list for October. There is nothing like the smell of turkey cooking in the oven. Oh wait, I think pies baking might give that turkey a bit of competition. 

Leftovers don't need to be boring

Why are there so many leftovers when everyone was stuffed to the gills leaving the dinner table? Although I do love the traditional  leftovers, like turkey sandwiches with dressing and cranberries and who doesn't dream of turkey soup but there are alternatives to these staples that can be tasty and have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

For a fast and easy weeknight supper why not try turkey quesadillas or enchiladas? Both of these dishes are nutritious and the kids will not even be thinking turkey, let alone that leftovers were involved! For the recipe go to the recipe tab on the main page.
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Turkey Enchilada

Try substituting turkey for any pasta recipe that involves chicken. The bonus is that the turkey is already cooked and waiting for you in the refrigerator. A couple of my go to recipes are turkey & chorizo linguine, the spanish sausage gives this pasta a nice little kick and turkey fettuccini alfredo is always a hit at my house.

For those nights that I am feeling a bit more adventurous and have more than 30 minutes to spare, say a leisurely hour to get dinner on the table I love to make risotto. There are so many variations but my go to risotto after thanksgiving has to be saffron turkey risotto. It's one of those dishes that is true comfort food, especially on a chilly October  night.
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Saffron Turkey Risotto

What can you do when the turkey is coming to the end and there isn't enough for a suppertime meal? A couple of ways to reinvent turkey is to make southwestern turkey wraps or turkey, cranberry & dressing phyllo triangles (similar to spanakopita). These triangles  are a great choice. They can be any size from appetizer style to a sandwich size and they are fantastic hot or cold. If phyllo dough seems a bit  daunting switch the phyllo dough out for pastry or pizza dough and make a turkey pizza pocket.
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Southwestern Turkey Wrap