Shakin & Bakin Foodie Blog

For the majority of Americans, it is a tradition to serve a roasted turkey dinner for the Thanksgiving holiday...however, once the dinner is over, we are faced with a lot of turkey left-overs.

I like to freeze my left over turkey in freezer-safe 2-3 cup plastic containers. During the next few weeks, I can defrost my turkey in the microwave and make some delicious dinner recipes for my family.

Tip: You will want to remove the skin and bones from your turkey before placing it into the freezer.

The following three recipes are the ones that my family enjoys the most after the Thanksgiving holiday is over.

Stir-Fry Turkey with Cranberry Glaze

1 fully cooked turkey breast, cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons ginger
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and ground pepper to taste

Remove any skin from the turkey breast and thinly slice the turkey breast into strips. Heat the oil in a large preheated wok. Add the turkey strips and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir the ginger and cranberries into the wok and stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the cranberries are soft. Add the cranberry sauce, soy sauce and season to taste with the salt and pepper, simmer the mixture for 3-5 minutes or until hot.

Turkey Salad Sandwiches

4 slices sandwich bread
1 cup cooked and diced turkey meat
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup green grapes, sliced in half
1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup raisins

This recipe will feed 2 people. In a large bowl, combined the diced turkey, celery, grapes, mayonnaise and raisins. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Spread salad onto your favorite style of bread. If desired, you can add slices of tomatoes and a few lettuce leaves.

Turkey Stuffed Crescent Rolls

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 1/4 cups cooked and shredded turkey
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons cold milk
1 tablespoon green minced onion
1 tablespoon pimento, finely chopped
8 ounce can crescent rolls
dry bread crumbs

In a large bowl, blend together the softened cream cheese and butter. Stir in the shredded turkey, salt, pepper, onion and chopped pimento. Open the can of crescent rolls and separate the rolls into 4 rectangular pieces, sealing the perforations. Spoon the prepared mixture into the center of each rectangle and then pull the corners together and seal the edges. Brush the dough with some melted butter and sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Love the taste of Mexican food? Looking for a recipe that uses lean ground turkey instead of ground beef? If so...I have a great recipe to share with you! I got this recipe about 10 years ago from my aunt and ever since then...I love making this appetizer for my family weekend get togethers.

Mexican Turkey Meatballs with Salsa Recipe

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 large egg, beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 oz. tortilla chips, finely crushed
vegetable cooking spray
3/4 cup non-fat sour cream
1/2 cup mild or spicy salsa

In a large mixing bowl combine together the ground turkey, egg, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, chili powder and cumin until all ingredients are well combined. Shape mixture into 1" round balls.

Place crushed tortilla chips on a dinner plate. Roll each meatball into the crushed tortilla chips, coating thoroughly. Lightly coat baking dish with vegetable cooking spray and arrange meatballs in dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in the center. In small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and salsa. Use this dip for dunking your meatballs in or pour a small amount of dip over the meatballs for serving.

I made this recipe last week for one of our weekly dinners and it was absolutely delicious! I am usually not a huge fan of sausage but this turkey sausage was yummy! I used angel hair pasta when I made it but you can also use regular spaghetti noodles.

Pasta Sauce with Turkey Sausage Recipe

1 tbsp. olive oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
1 lb. turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh basil, minced
hot cooked pasta
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

In a large fry pan, heat olive oil and cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat until the sausage is no longer pink, drain. Add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat and then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with freshly minced basil and serve over cooked pasta of your choice. You can then sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

Happy Thanksgiving! If you are like me, you have a lot of left-over Thanksgiving turkey and need to come up with some tasty meals to utilize it all. This is one of my favorite casserole recipes to use up some of my left-over Thanksgiving Turkey.

Turkey Noodle and Broccoli Casserole

8 oz. noodles (cooked and drained)
2 cup cooked turkey, diced
1 pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked and drained
8 oz. pkg. American Cheese, shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can water
2 tbsp. diced onions

Place noodles in a buttered 13" x 9" baking pan. Cover with shredded and diced turkey and broccoli; stir in diced onions. Top with half of the American Cheese. Blend soup and water, pour over the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

I love making this recipe in the fall between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have left-over turkey from your holiday meal, you can cut it up and use it in this recipe (you can use any portion of the turkey, not just the breast meat).

Stir-Fry Turkey with Cranberry Glaze Recipe

1 turkey breast
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons ginger root
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup canned chestnuts
4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Remove any skin from the turkey breast and thinly slice the turkey breast into strips. Heat the oil in a large preheated wok. Add the turkey strips and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Finely chop the ginger root and add the ginger root and cranberries to the wok and stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the cranberries are soft. Add the chestnuts, cranberry and soy sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish simmering in the wok for 4 to 5 minutes. Once it is done, you will want to serve it immediately.

Tupperware has 2 great chef's who share some of their delicious recipes with us. This particular recipe is by Chef Stuart and trust me, it is delicious!

Chef Stuart's Turkey Burgers Recipe

1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup red onions, minced
2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Coat grill rack with oil and adjust temperature to medium heat. Mix turkey, onion, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and dashes of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mold four one-inch thick turkey patties. Grill for approximately 5 minutes on each side.

Photo Courtesy of Tupperware.com

Here is another great recipe from Tupperware and this one uses a turkey breast. Great for a special dinner or a holiday dinner. Also a great way to use up that leftover turkey after the Thanksgiving holiday. Healthy and delicious!

Turkey Breast with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

1 bone-in whole turkey breast, about 5 pounds
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Simply Garlic
½ tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 yellow onion
6 carrots
1 pound Brussels sprouts
8 red new potatoes
¼ cup olive oil

Peel carrots using the Twistable™ Peeler. Cut carrots into 2-inch chunks using the Chef Series™ Pro Chef's Knife. Preheat oven to 325° F. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, Simple Indulgence™ Simply Garlic, salt and pepper together. Spread mixture over the turkey breast. Place breast on a rack in 13" x 9" baking pan. Roast the turkey for 1 hour. Toss the vegetables with olive oil and scatter the onion, carrots, Brussels sprouts and potatoes around turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for about 1 hour more until breasts are well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165° F. Remove the turkey to a cutting board, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Stir the vegetables and return the pan to the oven. Continue to cook the vegetables while the turkey rests. With Chef Series™ Pro Carving Set, slice the turkey and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables.

I love making this Turkey Sausage Bean Soup recipe for my family. It is loaded with a lot of great veggies, herbs and spices and turkey sausage is better for you health wise compared to pork sausage. I wait until my local store is running a special on the turkey sausage and then I stock up...it freezes really well.

Turkey Sausage Bean Soup

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 can low-salt chicken broth
1 dash red pepper
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can baked beans
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Brown the turkey sausage in the olive oil in a large stock pot. Remove the sausage from the pot and leave the oil. Cook garlic, celery, onion and the spices in the same oil. Add the chicken broth and crushed red pepper. Put the sausage back into the pot and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add beans and brown sugar and cook for 15 additional minutes. Soup can be served over rice.