Christmas dinner (or Thanksgiving) never seems quite right without the traditional turkey to grace the table. The trouble is, those big birds carry a lot of weight, too much for one meal. so what to do with all those yummy turkey leftovers?
While there is nothing quite like a huge doorstep sized turkey sandwich, oozing with cranberry sauce and groaning under the weight of all the stuffing you rammed in there, there are other slightly more creative ways to recycle your bird. So I thought I’d ask some of my lovely blogger friends how they like to use their turkey leftovers.
They shared everything from soups to paninis, quesadillas to tarts and hash, but one I just felt had to be added in was Turkey Curry for who can forget the opening scenes of the very first Bridget Jones movie when she attends the dreaded Turkey Curry Buffet at New Year. So for all you Bridget fans here is my own turkey curry recipe and a whole list of lovely links to take you straight to a whole host of recipes for using up those turkey leftovers.
TURKEY LEFTOVERS CURRY
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
1 onion diced
2 tbsp cashew nuts (unsalted)
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 400g/14oz can of coconut milk
2 cups of turkey leftovers
1 cup of cauliflower florets
1 cup of spinach leaves
1 tbsp flaked toasted almonds to serve
Tip all the ground spices into a dry pan and gently toast for about 1 minute until they release all their wonderful aromas.
Put the spices in a mortar and pestle and grind in the garlic and the onions to make a rough paste.
Use the same dry pan to toast the cashew nuts for about 2 minutes till lightly golden.
Add the coconut oil to the same pan and stir the curry paste around in the oil with the cashew nuts for about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, cauliflower florets, turkey leftovers and coconut milk and bring to the boil for 1 minute and then lower temperature and simmer with a lid for 20 minutes.
Add the spinach for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Serve on a bed of rice with the toasted flaked almonds on top.
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Now head on over to these super blogs below and check out their great ideas for using those turkey leftovers with style and a whole load of good taste.
CRANBERRY TURKEY QUESADILLAS from my friend Aubrey over at Homegrown and Healthy.
TURKEY RICE SOUP from my lovely friend Tracy over in Spain at Oh The Things We’ll Make.
TURKEY POT PIE from Elaina at The Rising Spoon, while the original recipe uses chicken you can easily substitute your turkey scraps for a tasty festive treat.
AMARANTH CREPES from Anni at Homestead and Gardens can easily be filled with your turkey leftovers for a great snack or lunch.
TURKEY HASH from Kim at Nearly Natural Momma.
TURKEY, RICE AND KALE SOUP from Raia over at Raia’s Recipes.
TURKEY SANDWICH WITH CRANBERRY from Linda over at The Organic Kitchen.
TURKEY PANINI from Daja at The Provision Room.
BISCUIT TOPPED POT PIE from Quinn at Reformation Acres uses turkey as well as chicken for this great recipe.
LEFTOVERS HASH from Daja at The Provision Room.
CREAMED TURKEY OVER CORNBREAD from Quinn at Reformation Acres uses chicken or turkey for this dish.
TURKEY AND THYME TARTS from Aubrey over at Homegrown and Healthy.
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However you choose to deal with your turkey leftovers this year I hope you will enjoy every last mouthful!
Karon x
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tbsp cashew nuts (unsalted)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped
- 1 400g/14oz can of coconut milk
- 2 cups of turkey leftovers
- 1 cup of cauliflower florets
- 1 cup of spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp flaked toasted almonds to serve
- Tip all the ground spices into a dry pan and gently toast for about 1 minute until they release all their wonderful aromas.
- Put the spices in a mortar and pestle and grind in the garlic and the onions to make a rough paste.
- Use the same dry pan to toast the cashew nuts for about 2 minutes till lightly golden.
- Add the coconut oil to the same pan and stir the curry paste around in the oil with the cashew nuts for about 3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, cauliflower florets, turkey leftovers and coconut milk and bring to the boil for 1 minute and then lower temperature and simmer with a lid for 20 minutes.
- Add the spinach for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Serve on a bed of rice with the toasted flaked almonds on top.
Wonderful ideas! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Tracy
K x
my pleasure!
K x
Never tried turkey curry before, but it sounds great! Thanks so much for sharing my soup recipe! 🙂
Hi Raia, my pleasure
K x