Category — Turkey

Another tasty option for using leftover turkey meat is to quickly and easily prepare single serve pizzas. Try using 4-inch whole wheat pitas as is or maybe 1/2 of a six inch pita for very thin crust pizza servings to keep the calorie count down. Another possibility might be to use whole wheat english muffins.

Each pita round pizza will have about 280 calories and 4 grams of dietary fiber.

(The original recipe was published in the November 2002 issue of Cooking Light Magazine. I’ve modified the recipe for improved nutrition and ease of preparation.)

Turkey Pizza

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 14 ounce can canned crushed tomatoes

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 1/2 tsp. dried)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves (or 2 tsp. dried)

6 whole wheat pitas (4-inches in diameter)

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped skinless cooked turkey

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella chees

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley and basil. Remove from heat. Cool.

3. Spread tomato sauce over pita rounds leaving a slight border. Top with the chopped turkey and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until a golden.

This dish is a favorite for my family after Thanksgiving. It offers a great way to quickly and easily prepare a meal using leftover cooked turkey meat. The resulting dish offers a refreshingly different taste and a nice alternative to turkey sandwiches.

Image by Kitty Sonnenschein via Flickr

Prepared and served with brown rice, the dish has about 344 calories per serving and 2.5 grams of dietary fiber (the calorie count and fiber will vary somewhat with couscous or quinoa). A green vegetable such as steamed broccoli or tossed salad with mixed salad greens would round out the meal without adding many calories.

Turkey Slices with Curried Cream Sauce

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 slices turkey breast meat torn into small pieces (14 ounces)

2 Tbsp. light butter or margarine

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup non fat milk

1/2 small banana diced (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped cashews

3 cups cooked rice or couscous or quinoa. (whole grain such as brown rice instead of white is best)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a small saucepan. Blend in the flour and curry powder.

2. Add the chicken broth and milk all at once.

3. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

4. Stir in turkey, raisins, and cashews. Add the bananas last and stir just till heated through.

5. Serve the mix over a bed of rice.