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Dietitians Dish – November 23, 2020

Thanksgiving 2.0 – Let Nothing Go to Waste!

To ensure that nothing goes to waste from big holiday meals (or everyday meals for that matter), consider whether you’ll be likely to eat the leftovers in 3-4 days. If not, be sure to freeze the extras within 2 hours after cooking (if kept at room temperature). Turkey will last in the freezer 3-4 months. One of the reasons leftovers go to waste is that many people just reheat the original meal for a 2nd time. That can get boring – plus the flavors and quality aren’t always the same, which can be a turn-off for most people.

So as you think about your Thanksgiving menu, consider what items could be used in another way. Leftover mashed potatoes can be turned into potato pancakes with a few added items, or you could find a recipe for dough and use them as filling for homemade pierogies. For day 2, when it might be more traditional to have a sandwich, how about going bite-sized and use up a variety of the leftovers.

Check out this Turkey Slider for some inspiration and stack your favorite combination of foods from the many different leftovers you have in your fridge.

Leftover Turkey Sliders

Pear - Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients:

  • 1-1/2 cups frozen sweet potato fries
  • 2 tsps. olive oil
  • 2 cups sliced leftover or cooked turkey
  • 3/4 cup leftover stuffing
  • 12 wheat slider buns
  • 3 slices Swiss cheese, quartered
  • 2 cups spring mix lettuc
  • 1/2 cup leftover Cranberry Chutney*

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375°. Spray rimmed baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, toss fries with oil; spread on 1 side of prepared pan. Tear 2 (12 x 24-inch) sheets aluminum foil; enclose turkey and stuffing separately in foil. Place foil packets on pan opposite fries; bake 20 minutes or until fries are crisp, and turkey and stuffing are heated through.
  • Top bottom halves of buns with cheese, spring mix, chutney, turkey, stuffing,
    fries and top halves of buns.

*Find the recipe for Cranberry Chutney at
https://inseasonezine.com/home/cranberry-chutney/
.