Vegging at the Shore
By Marci Lutsky
You spend so long preparing for Thanksgiving dinner and then it is over in the blink of an eye. After everyone’s tummies are full and the dishes are done, you might find yourself wondering why you prepared so much food. If that sounds familiar, here are some ideas of what to do with all of those leftovers, which are too good to go to waste!
If you still have a lot of turkey left over, there are so many creative ways you can use it. If you are tired of cooking and are not interested in getting creative right away, you can freeze the turkey and then defrost it when you are in the mood to try some of these ideas.
Before my husband gave up meat, his absolute favorite sandwich any time of the year was the Thanksgiving sandwich. Pile some turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing on a sandwich and dig in. Add some lettuce for crunch and you will have the perfect lunch.
Turkey is great in soups, quesadillas, pot pies and other dishes like turkey tetrazzini and turkey fried rice. I’m a big fan of paninis because really what doesn’t taste good between two slices of grilled bread? Add some stuffing and cheese to the bread, along with the turkey and grill it on a panini maker or in a pan.
Do you have a bunch of leftover roasted vegetables? The possibilities with these are endless. How about making a roasted vegetable pizza? Frittatas are so easy and a great way to use roasted vegetables. You can also make your frittata using mashed potatoes as a base on the bottom of the pan, before adding the eggs and vegetables. It’s like dinner for breakfast!
So, you made too much mashed potatoes, now what? Make mashed potato cakes! This idea comes from my friend Sue Malat at Elev8 Your Plate. Add a couple of eggs to a bowl of mashed potatoes, chopped onion, cheddar cheese and scallions. You don’t need much in the way of seasonings since the mashed potatoes are already seasoned. Drop about ¼ cup of the mixture into a pan with heated oil. Fry them for about four minutes per side and top them with sour cream. Brilliant! If you celebrate Hanukah and are looking for a new twist on potato latkes, this would be fun to try!
Quesadillas are another one of my go-to easy meals. If you have a bunch of left over cooked sweet potatoes, quesadillas are a great way to use them up. Once the sweet potatoes are cooled, scoop out the insides and combine them with black beans, lime juice and seasonings like cumin, salt and pepper. Add the mixture along with cheese to a tortilla, fold it over and cook it for about three minutes on each side. Serve them with guacamole for a quick and easy dinner or lunch. This is a recipe that I love not just at the holidays, but all year round.
What are your favorite ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers? I would love to hear from you.
Marci Lutsky is a food blogger at Vegging at the Shore, www.veggingattheshore.com and can be reached at veggingattheshore@gmail.com.
