Leftover Turkey Lasagna

Comfort Food

Comfort is rosemary, onion, and beef's broth 
vying for favor of flavor, 

scents rising toward heaven
along with our noses, 

tummies rumbling,
Mom's apron used as oven mitts

for pans of melting mozzarella 
topping vegetable and meat lasagnas,

for fluffy dumplings floating
atop soul-warming soup.

Comfort is family gathered,
talking and chewing simultaneously,

dogs beneath our feet
and cats eyeing the counters.

by Margaret Bednar, January 3, 2018

Left Over Turkey Lasagna

Comfort food for sure and it can be made healthier if one replaces the ricotta with small curd low-fat cottage cheese.  I used no-bake noodles.  They are very thin.  I got to thinking what this would taste like if I replaced the noodles with zucchini slices.  I will follow-up soon with a healthier version and report back in a few weeks.

Anyway, here is the recipe that matches the above photo:

Heat oven to 350 F

Marinara Spaghetti Sauce - 3 cups (I usually use sugar-free, but used Mids Marinara Sauce for this)
Turkey -  2 cups cooked, chopped
Zucchini - 1 medium, shredded (I took skin off - probably not necessary, though)

Mix three above ingredients

Spread 1-1/2 cups of this mixture in ungreased rectangular 11x7 x 1/2 baking dish

6 Lasagna Noodles (or enough to cover each layer)

Top with 3 noodles

Ricotta Cheese - 1 cup
Parmesan, parmigiano-reggiano cheese - 1/4 cup grated
Oregeno - 1 teaspoon

Mix above three together.  Spread over noodles in dish.  Spread 1-1/2 cups of the turkey mixture.

Top with remaining noodles and last layer of turkey mixture.

Mozzerella Cheese - 2 cups  I used a ball of Mozzerella sliced thinly and put circles on top.  Probably easier to get grated which allows one to use it more sparingly.

Sprinkle with above cheese.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

White Bean & Turkey Chili

This is absolutely our favorite meal to make with Holiday Turkey Leftovers.  It is simple, fast, and delicious.  I made the mistake of not doubling this recipe once...

Ingredients:

Olive Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Yellow Onion - 2 cups diced
Chili Powder - 1-1/2 Tablespoons
Garlic - Minced - 1 Tablespoon

In large Dutch oven, heat oil and add onion, saute for 10 minutes or until tender and golden.  Add chili powder, garlic, and cumin and saute for 2 minutes. 

Oregano - 1 teaspoon
Great Northern Beans - 3 (15.8) cans, rinsed & drained

add the above and cook for about a minute (stir)

Chicken Broth - 4 cups fat-free, less sodium

add and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place two cups of bean mixture into blender and process until smooth.  Return mixture to pan. 

Turkey - chopped, 3 cups

Add turkey and cook 5 minutes.

Diced Tomatoes - 1/2 cup (I used low sodium canned, but can use diced, seeded plum tomatoes)
Cilantro - 1/3 chopped
Lime Juice - 2 Tablespoons
Salt & Pepper to Taste - I omit the salt

Remove from heat and add the diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and pepper.

Warning:  This recipe supposedly feeds 8.   Five of us finished this off in one evening. 

"Mitchum" Soup aka Hearty Turkey Vegetable Soup

"Mitchum Soup" aka Hearty Turkey Vegetable Soup

I have a handful of recipes that I know by heart.  Hearty Turkey Vegetable Soup is one of them but we call it "Mitchum Soup" as my oldest son's first girlfriend's mother (sounds more complicated than it is) gave it to me and I still have my version (very worn and splattered) hand-written on an index card.

It is a soup that is almost chili-like and makes a HUGE pot that will last for days (unless you have six children who LOVE this soup - which I do).  Years later I googled and found this on the internet.  It can be found HERE but I have listed the ingredients and how to below as well.


In dutch oven, combine the first two ingredients over medium heat and cook until meat is no longer pink:

1 lb lean ground turkey (sometimes I use a very high quality, 95% f.f. ground beef)
1 Onion (minced)


Add the following two ingredients.  Cook and stir for 1 - 2 minutes.

2 Zucchini, small, quartered length wise and sliced
1 Carrot (I often use 3) cut into 1-inch julienne strips


Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 30-45 minutes. 

3 cans (14 oz each) reduced sodium beef broth, reduced sodium (I often add an extra can)
1 jar Pasta Marina Sauce 
1 can Great Northern beans (rinsed)
1 can Kidney Beans (rinsed)
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
2 tsp Oregano, dried
1 Tbsp Parsley flakes, dried
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Hot pepper sauce


Before serving stir in already cooked:

1 cup (uncooked) shell pasta, small

Welcome to my Kitchen - "Drunken Chicken"

Welcome to my Kitchen.  It is small and cozy.  I haven't posted here since 2012.  The other day I turned 53 and I have gained a bit of weight and I am determined to get rid of it once and for all.

How do I do that?  Turn my kitchen into a creative space - one that will inspire me to paint what I create, write poetry about, maybe inspire a quilt design or two ...  who knows.

My end goal with this blog is to create a means to inspire me to stay on track with healthy eating and exercising.  A large part of who we are is what we eat... fresh produce and good old fashioned slicing and dicing with a favorite sharp knife (although I have been eyeing some pretty nifty food processors - stay tuned) is the first course of action.  I'm determined to stay stay away from processed foods.

I love hand-spun pottery and white pitchers.  The flowers are from the grocery store and I think they are gorgeous. 

Below is a recipe for beer can chicken.  I don't eat as much meat as I used to, but I got to wondering if I could make my own rotisserie chicken (you know how we pick up the "quick dinner" every once in a while at the grocery store?)

I did buy a very expensive local farm whole chicken (organic feed, etc) and I don't know if it is the recipe or the fresh chicken or both, but this recipe was amazing - way better than store bought and I 'd like to think healthier as I controlled the salt.  I almost always omit or decrease the amount of salt in a recipe. 

The pottery baking dish is called a "Texas Beer Butt" or "Drunken Chicken" which the butt of the chicken is sitting on and the beer was poured into the center.  I purchased mine locally, but you can find one HERE. 

Here is the recipe:

from Joe Cooks  HERE   It is on her Pinterest page.   I print out all my Pinterest recipes just in case the originator ever takes the page down.   If you can't get to the link let me know and I will happily email you a copy of this recipe. 

Let me know if you try this recipe.  Happy Cooking. 

Crisp-skinned Salmon with Radish & Cucumber Salad

Crisp-skinned Salmon with Radish & Cucumber Salad

1 peeled cucumber, cut in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon, and sliced thinly into half moon shapes

2 celery sticks - diced

1 shallot - diced

1 avocado - diced

20 red radishes - halved  (this really depends on the size of your radishes.

1 small handful cilantro leaves

COMBINE ALL THE ABOVE IN A LARGE BOWL.

To make the dressing, mix the following and set aside:

1/3 cup olive oil

2 TBSPNS lime juice

1 tspn finely grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tspn honey

dash of sea salt

dash of freshly ground black pepper

Brush 4 small salmon fillets lightly with olive oil and sprinkle skin with a little salt.  Add about 2 TBSPNS of olive oil to a large frying pan and add salmon skin side down when pan is HOT.   This is the tricky part...

hold a spatula or another frying pan on top of the fillets to keep them flat.  Fry for 1-2 minutes or until skin is crisp and brown all over.  Cook until opaque (this depends upon thickness).  Drain on paper towels.

When cool, use scissors to cut each fillet across the grain into strips.  Break each strip into bite sized pieces.  Add to the salad with the dressing and extra cilantro.  Toss gently.

Now, that is the recipe.  I have to carefully pick the skin off for my family... whatever works.. right?

This is what is on the menu for Friday... we have to give up SO much for lent  :)

This is from one of my favorite recipe books "The Produce Bible" by Leanne Kitchen.  It should be on every garden lovers bookshelf!

Peach-Cilantro Salsa

I wasn't so sure about the blend of these ingredients, but I am certainly happy I tried it!

4 Peaches (or nectarines), cubed

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 small red onion, chopped.

Fresh lime juice - to taste

Mix all the above!

I brushed chicken with fat-free honey-Dijon, salt & pepper and cooked in broiler for 4 minutes on each side.  (I pounded the chicken to 1/4 inch thick and placed 4-6 inche from the heat source.)  This really was EASY and very tastey.  I couldn't find any fresh peaches so I opted for nectarines.   This recipe was from "5-a-day" the better health cookbook.  I REALLY like this cookbook as it is chuck full of flavorful ideas for fruits and vegetables.

Corn Salsa

This corn salsa is very FAST.

2 cups corn kernals (3-4 ears of corn)

5 Tblspns chopped fresh cilantro

3 green onions, thinly sliced

3 Tbspns fresh lime juice

1 fresh jalepeno, seeded and minced

Boil water in a pan.  Add the corn kernals and cook for a minute or two.  Drain and let cool.   Add everything else and mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste if desired.  Serving size is between 2 - 3 cups.

I usually serve this over chicken & cheese quesadillas, but it goes well with fish quesadillas too.

This recipe was found in "Williams-Sonoma Complete Seasons Cookbook".  I bought it at a second hand book store for $4.00.  This salsa has become a family favorite.