A Trio of Tasty Turkey Recipes (and a pardon)

Thanksgiving will be cactus quiet here in the desert north of Santa Fe. No traveling. No fuss for us. Yet I felt inspired to thumb through my recipe file today. It's just habit. I guess it's not easy to let go of cooking for a family. Not yet, anyway. I still cook for four- even though we are down to two. I still buy too many salad greens. And big banana bunches that inevitably morph into black and reeking fruit fly magnets. It's okay. I shrug it off. I tell myself I'm on a learning curve. Not a bad place to be at fifty-three. Still learning.

After I wrote this post- and posted it- I saw this timely piece by Bill Maher, and read about the disgusting practices of Butterball- it was enough to make your humble goddess break down and cry. There is so much in this world I simply don't understand.

In fact, I almost pulled this post. But then I thought I'd stick with my original intention- which was to share some recipes for post-holiday leftovers- and offer an alternative viewpoint at the same time, that maybe it's time to pardon your turkey.

This is the beauty of blogging.

We're not eating turkey here- I haven't for years- and there's more than one reason why. Besides my poultry and egg allergy there are ethics to be considered. There are practices you might not be aware of (I wasn't). Give Bill Maher's thought provoking post a read-through.

And then I urge you to spend the time and effort to find a cruelty-free source for your bird- if you still choose to eat one. If- like me- you decide to pardon a turkey this year, try my favorite Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas recipe instead.

And back to my original post- a trio of simple and tasty post-holiday recipes. Here are three yummy ways to use up leftover cruelty-free turkey. Consider this my modest Thank You to all you fabulous readers- for all your thoughtful comments, suggestions, and get well messages. You're the best!

Jazzed Up Turkey Tetrazzini

Here's my unconventional dairy-free version of a retro sixties classic. Gluten-free spaghetti makes fabulous tetrazzini. Who knew?

For the filling::

A dash of olive oil, as needed
1 medium sweet onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips (thin sticks)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 lb. sliced Baby Bella mushrooms

12 oz. gluten-free linguini or spaghetti (such as Tinkyada), cooked according to package directions, rinsed, drained

3 cups hand-torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the sauce::

4 tablespoons light olive oil
4 tablespoons white rice flour
2 cups non-dairy rice milk (or milk)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free chicken broth
Optional- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, for flavor
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 teaspoon tarragon or parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper or paprika, to taste

For the crumb topping::

2 cups Crunchy Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs (tossed in olive oil or melted vegan margarine)
1 teaspoon French herbs- or parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a 10x13-inch baking dish or deep casserole.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a large skillet and lightly saute the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms till tender; set aside.

Arrange the cooked spaghetti in the baking dish.

Toss the turkey pieces in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and season with a little sea salt and pepper.

Add the turkey and the skillet veggies to the noodles in the baking dish.

Make your sauce:

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the flour; stir to make a paste; briefly stir over heat for about three minutes- to cook out the "flour" flavor. Slowly add a cup of the rice milk and continue stirring until it starts to thicken; add the second cup of rice milk, heat and stir till thickened. I like to use a whisk at this point.

If you are using the nutritional yeast, you can add it in and whisk to combine. Add the broth. Continue to heat gently for another five to seven minutes, stirring often. Add the sherry, tarragon and a dash of sea salt and pepper, to taste. In fact- taste test. If it needs a flavor boost, add a pinch more salt, a dash of herbs or sherry. You can also add a dash of nutmeg or mustard if you like.

Pour the sauce over the veggies and noodles and use a fork to shimmy the goodies so that the sauce seeps in and around- this keeps everything moist and happy.

Top with the Crunchy Golden GF Bread Crumbs. (I like to place a few of the mushroom slices on the top, too- I think it looks pretty.)

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until piping hot and bubbling.

To be totally retro, serve with green beans sprinkled with slivered almonds.

Serves 4 to 6.

Holiday Turkey Enchiladas

Our son Alex loves these uber-easy enchiladas- usually featuring torn pieces of tender free-range chicken, lime juice, chunks of sweet pineapple, and spicy salsa. But after Thanksgiving, when all the traditional Pilgrim-inspired foods have shared their hand-holding moment in the fast fading sun, leftover free-range turkey makes for some scrumptious enchiladas, too.

3 cups of your favorite salsa- spicy or mild
4-5 cups of cooked free-range organic turkey, hand torn or shredded
Juice from one fresh lime
2-4 tablespoons sour cream- light or regular or vegan for dairy-free
Sea salt and ground pepper
Pinch of cumin
Light olive oil, as needed
12 corn tortillas
1 cup diced pineapple
2 4-oz. cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 cups shredded Jalapeño Jack cheese- or vegan Jack for non-dairy
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour about a half cup of salsa into the bottom a large lightly oiled 10x13" baking dish- or use two smaller pans, for six enchiladas each.

Place the torn turkey pieces into a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over the cooked turkey; add enough sour cream to moisten; stir; season with sea salt and pepper, and cumin; toss well to coat.

Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and heat one corn tortilla until softened, turning it over once to coat with oil. Place the tortilla into the sauced baking dish; fill with 1/12 of the turkey pieces, and roll up seam side down, placing it at the far end of the dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas, adding more oil, if needed.

Pour the remaining salsa over the rolled tortillas. Top with the diced pineapple, then the green chiles. Sprinkle with cheese and red pepper flakes.

Bake in a 350 degree F. oven until the enchiladas are bubbling and heated through, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6

Cook's Note:

For a homemade authentic green chile sauce recipe, try here.



Turkey Nachos

This is a family favorite- a non-conventional way to use up cruelty-free turkey leftovers Santa Fe style. Use a combo of organic blue and yellow corn chips and scatter on lots of sliced pickled jalapeños. It's an unbeatable combination. And don't forget to toss the chips in extra virgin olive oil- a trick I learned watching Rocco DiSpirito.

3 heaping cups organic blue corn tortilla chips
3 heaping cups organic yellow corn tortilla chips
Extra virgin olive oil [and please don't say EVOO]
2 cups hand torn cooked free-range organic turkey pieces- or omit!
4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded- use vegan cheese for dairy-free
A big handful of organic sweet grape tomatoes, halved
3-4 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos- or use chopped mild green chiles
A sprinkle of good chili powder or chipotle powder, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper.

Layer the blue and yellow corn tortilla chips in the bottom of the lined pan; drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and hand toss to coat evenly.

Scatter the turkey pieces on top of the corn chips. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Layer the tomatoes, jalapeños, and the remaining shredded cheese. Believe it or not, drizzle a little more olive oil all over the the nachos. Add a dusting of spices, to taste, and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Bake in a hot oven for about seven to ten minutes, or so, until the cheese has melted and the nachos are happy and sizzling.

Crack open some crisp and cold gluten-free beer. Put on KT Tunstall's new CD. Dig in, Babycakes.

You can even be post-holiday decadent and serve these nachos right from the roasting pan. (Okay, I admit it. We're casual here. We eat nachos right out of the pan- with our fingers.)

Serves 4.

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