Thanksgiving
Turkey Carcass Soup
November 28, 2009 | 
Author If you don’t take care of the bones in short order after the turkey is history, open the trashcan and give them a proper burial. They have been good to you and your family and have fed you well. I freeze the carcass as soon as I’ve picked off the last of the meat to avoid the should I use it or dump it quandary.
To make delicious Roast Turkey Carcass Soup beyond your wildest dreams, follow these simple directions.
First, pull the carcass apart, throw it in a roaster and fling some quartered onions, carrots and celery in there, and about 8 whole cloves of garlic. Drizzled this mess with some olive oil and toss it in the oven at 425 for about 45 minutes. Pull the roaster from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Then put the roaster on the stovetop, add cold water (about 3/4 of the way up in the pan) and boil the whole thing right there (uncovered) for another hour (obviously we’re talking about METAL pans here!!). Strain it, put in the fridge overnight, take off the top layer of grease and now this incredibly wonderful broth is ready for some action.
Roast Turkey Carcass Soup
Serves many
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Roast Turkey Carcass broth (see above directions to make)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of thyme (depending on taste and quantity of soup)
1 bag (10.5 oz.) extra wide egg noodles
In a soup pot, heat the olive oil till hot over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook 5 minutes till soft and translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook another five minutes stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper well to taste.
Now add the Roast Turkey Carcass broth you just made. Bring everything to a rolling boil; don’t cover the soup. Add the thyme and the egg noodles and serve when the noodles are al dente.
Thanksgiving Leftovers
I had requests mid-November for my fabulous turkey leftover recipes. Gee, we haven’t even had Thanksgiving yet, I thought to myself. But then again, I was pleased people were thinking ahead. And what’s not to like about the Ultimate Leftover? These tried and true recipes are the best way to handle the plentiful leftovers that are certainly hanging out in your fridge. If you’re lucky enough to have a lot of everything, try Alice Johnston’s Fabulous Thanksgiving Pie.
Then again, if you’ve had enough Thanksgiving and are looking for new flavors for your copious leftovers, try the other two recipes.
Alice Johnston’s Thanksgiving Pie
Serves 4 to 6
Leftover gravy, heated
Leftover turkey, chopped
Leftover stuffing/dressing (whatever you call it at your house)
Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover veggies
Leftover cranberries
Preheat 375 degrees.
In an 8 to 9 inch pie pan, press the leftover stuffing into a bottom to make a pie shell of sorts. Next, make a layer of potatoes, then veggies. Add the chopped turkey to the heated gravy and mix well. Pour that turkey mixture into the middle of your pie and put it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or so until completely heated through. Serve with leftover cranberries.
Beanless Turkey Chili
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 red bell pepper, chopped (seeded and deribbed)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (seeded and deribbed) peppers are OPTIONAL
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes, broken up
4-5 cups cooked turkey, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
In a large saucepan or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, celery, peppers and seasonings over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir in cooked turkey and cook until heated through. Before serving, add lime juice and fresh cilantro and stir gently.
Per Serving: 283 Calories; 8g Fat; 31g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 82mg Cholesterol; 273mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 4 Lean Meat; 2 Vegetable; 1 Fat.
Serving Suggestions: Serve in bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese and blop of sour cream. Serve with a big green salad and cornbread muffins.
If you don’t have that much turkey left, you can add a can of drained white beans and one cup drained canned corn and it becomes more of a chili.
Barbecued Turkey Pasta
Serves 6
1 pound fusilli or other medium pasta shape, uncooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups leftover turkey, cubed
1 small green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (your favorite)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup grated Provolone cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add turkey and sauté, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown on all sides, about 1 minute. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until pepper turns bright green, about 1 minute. Now add your favorite spaghetti sauce and barbecue sauce and heat just to a simmer. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of water and return pasta to the pot (this is Naked Chef trick if you watch Food Network). Add turkey mixture and cheese to the pot. Stir over a low heat until pasta is coated with sauce. Add enough of the reserved cooking water, if needed, to make the sauce lightly coat the pasta (you don’t want it too thin, however). Serve up the pasta in bowls and top with green onions and chopped cilantro.
Per Serving: 530 Calories; 11g Fat; 43g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 84mg Cholesterol; 487mg Sodium. Exchanges: 4 Grain (Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Serving Suggestions: A big spinach salad and whole grain rolls.
Five Things
Looking for our Free Thanksgiving Planner/Menu? Click here
Holiday Greetings Healthy-Foods Readers!
It’s HERE! Well almost, Thanksgiving is less than a week away! I’ve got 5 things you need to get done, NOW so you can enjoy the day! I’ve also included a recipe from our famous Holiday Bundle—a recipe to make, enjoy and give! You’ll love it.
Don’t forget we will not be publishing on Christmas or New Year’s, both land on Fridays.
All of my Saving Dinner books make great gifts, incidentally! http://www.leanneely.com/books
Feel free to forward Healthy-Foods to all your friends and family!
To Your Health–
Leanne
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Five Things
by Leanne Ely, C.N.C.
Here are some critical things to help you sail through Thanksgiving this year. Write them down; don’t keep them in your head–
1) Guest List. Pretty basic, but seriously, make your list; check it twice and start making those all-important phone calls. Knowing how many to plan for is an integral part of successful holiday planning.
2) The Menu. What are you having besides turkey? Make your menu and appropriate grocery list and get everything purchased except the perishables (do that a few days before). If you have stuff that might get mistakenly eaten before the big day, put it in a box and stash it in the linen closet or label it instructing your loved ones to stay far, far away from this Thanksgiving food item.
3) The Turkey. If you’re going to order a fresh one, time’s running out. Make that phone call now. Make sure you get a confirmation number (put the confirmation number on your calendar or checklist). If you’re buying frozen go ahead and purchase it now, double bag it and stick in the fridge to start thawing.
4) Serving Pieces. Do you have everything you need? Platters, serving utensils, extra plates, napkins, etc.? Pull them out and set them aside; that’s one less thing you’ll need to do. If you don’t have what you need, buy them or make phone calls to borrow and pick them up as soon as possible.
5) Linen Check. Pull out your tablecloth and napkins. Are they clean, are they pressed? If not, wash and iron them now then hang them up on hangers and put them in your hall closet (or wherever you can hang them). Doing them the night before or the day of will exhaust you! There’s way too much to do on those two days.
Remember that holidays are for everyone, INCLUDING the cook! Don’t forget to ask for help, allow others to bring some of their favorite dishes and on cooking day, make time to stop, put your feet up and be very thankful for the faces that will be sitting around your Thanksgiving table. Enjoy yourself this year!
We have our Thanksgiving for the Freezer http://bit.ly/ThanksgivingBundle available if you want it really easy!
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This delicious Gingerbread Cake is easy to make, easy to share and makes a beautiful, homemade and inexpensive gift! We have more recipes like this in our fabulous Holiday Bundle! http://bit.ly/EBHolidayBundle
Gingerbread Cake
2 loaves
2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup orange juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two small (3 x 6 inch) loaf pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, orange zest, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt).
Into a different mixing bowl cream butter and sugar. Gradually add eggs and continue to blend until fluffy.
To the wet ingredients, beat in molasses, 1/2 of the flour mixture and the buttermilk until dry ingredients are moistened.
Add remaining flour along with the orange juice and continue to stir until well blended.
Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
This recipe is from our wonderful Holiday Bundle! Get yours now, while the discounted price lasts! CLICK HERE http://bit.ly/EBHolidayBundle
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Healthy-Foods Resource
Intrigued by those new dinner-assembly franchises popping up all over the country? Price take your breath away? We have the answer and it’s our version of these places in a do it yourself way—our terrific Five for the Freezer, Ten for the Freezer or Twenty for the Freezer Dinner kits!
Our freezer-friendly Dinner Kits provides instructions, shopping lists, and recipes to make from 5 to 20 freezable entrees for your family. The meals are healthy and not filled with preservatives and additives. The ingredients are fresh (no dried onion flakes or MSG filled ingredients, for example), no icky twice-cooked watery casseroles. And the best part is the cost: just $8.95. With your smart shopping, you can fill your freezer with healthy meals for a fraction of the cost of those franchise places! There are several to choose from, including crock cooker, low carb, vegetarian and more!
Go to www.savingdinner.com and see what everyone’s talking about!
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Hip Tips
Do you have a nifty, healthy foods tip you’d like to share? Maybe a comment you want to share? Send it in with your name and state (or country) and we’ll use it in a future Healthy-Foods issue!
** I love hot oatmeal every day but I don’t always have time to make it, so I make a double batch of Old Fashioned oats according to the directions on the box (with raisins added at the beginning so they plump up and get soft). When the oatmeal is finished cooking, I add chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, and nutmeg and store it in the fridge. Since I can’t eat a whole serving at once, this double batch lasts me 4-5 days. I just scoop out what I can eat each morning, warm it with a little soy milk in the microwave (45 seconds), and it’s ready to eat! ~Anne
*LEANNE’S NOTE: I do the same with steel cut oats. Works great!
Posted in Articles, Holiday, Recipes, Thanksgiving | 
Tags: Gingerbread Cake, Thanksgiving | 
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Free Thanksgiving Menu & Planner
For years now Leanne has helped “Save Thanksgiving” in homes all over America. This year, be sure and grab a copy of her Free Thanksgiving Menu & Planner to help make your holiday run smoothly.
http://www.leanneely.com/Free_Thanksgiving.pdf
Cheers! 
Posted in Free Samples, Holiday, Thanksgiving | Tags: Free Thanksgiving Planner, Thanksgiving Planner | 24 Comments »
Good Turkey Tetrazini
Serves 6-8
4 tablespoons butter, divided
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked whole wheat fusilli
3 cups cooked turkey, chopped
3/4 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease casserole or baking dish.
Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large deep skillet saute mushrooms and onions in 2 tablespoons butter. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add remaining butter to skillet and whisk in flour until smooth. Slowly add chicken broth and evaporated skim milk. Stir until sauce is smooth and continue to cook until has thickened. Add mushrooms and onions back to skillet along with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, wine, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Next add turkey and pasta and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Remove from heat.
In a small mixing bowl combine bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
Transfer skillet contents to casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumb mixture.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until casserole is warmed through and golden brown on top.
NUTRITION per serving: 412 Calories; 15g Fat; 36g Protein; 38g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 78mg Cholesterol; 371mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 Grain (Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat. Points: 8
Posted in Holiday, Recipes, Thanksgiving | Tags: Good Turkey Tetrazini, Thanksgiving Leftovers, Turkey | No Comments »
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