Photo by Hammer51012 from Flickr
By CK Wilde for 3GenFamily Blog
“How big is that turkey, Mom?” Still dripping from its cold water bath, this huge, white skinned bird, sat draining on a tray near the sink. My mother made exactly the same meal every Thanksgiving.
“Oh, it is about 20 pounds,” she replied. That’s enough for about 13 people using the cookbook rule of thumb of 1.5 pounds of turkey per person. Thanksgiving was the holiday we celebrated at home — just the four of us.
Why So Much Food?
My mother loved to roast as big a turkey as she could fit in the oven. Frugal by nature, the prospect of cooking a bargain bird (only 49 cents a pound!) and having quick fix meals for an entire week made her smile. And, of course, there was a generous supply of turkey stock for soup during the second week.
My Dad, my sister and I dutifully ate what was prepared. It was highly improper to make negative comments.
I only started to truly appreciate my mom’s cooking wisdom after I had my second child. Once the lovely bird was in the oven, there were several hours time to read to or play games with the boys. That was the real holiday treat.
The Food Rebellion
It didn’t take long for my family to notice that our menu for the week after Thanksgiving was all turkey, all the time. And they rebelled!
“I’m sorry, Mom,” my older son said, “I just don’t like eating turkey every day!” My husband played the diplomat, ” Well, I love anything you cook, dear, but . . .”
Sigh. I got the message – less turkey, more variety. From that point on, each Thanksgiving I tried a different experimental meal.
Most memorable was the year of Tofurkey.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. . .
“Uh, Mom, what is this?” My eldest son stared warily at the piece of faux poultry on his plate.
“Ah, this is a new product I found at the local store. It’s called Tofurkey. I thought we would try it since you guys get tired of too much turkey.” I took the first bite.
Oh, Oh
No offense to vegetarians intended here but tofu heavily laced with salt and flavorings to make it pretend to taste vaguely like turkey just isn’t tasty. I’m not sure it even qualified as real food. My husband gamely tried a few bites and gave up. Ditto for the boys.
My grand and noble kitchen experiment was a colossal failure. No animals were harmed in the making of this experience. But, my judgment as a cook was in serious jeopardy.
After that, I went back to buying turkeys for Thanksgiving — the smallest ones I could find. And, I also got more creative with the leftovers so that those days following the holiday would be more palatable (pun intended).
My family is more tolerant now of our several days of turkey meals. During our Thanksgiving meal, we reminisce about our past holiday culinary adventures. (My first born shrieks in mock horror, “Tofurkey?”) We have developed a taste for pot pies, stir fries and enchiladas made with turkey. When our youngest goes off to college in two years, I might skip the turkey roasting and make the enchiladas with ground turkey for Thanksgiving instead!
Here’s a great recipe from Laura LaValle at Total Health Breakthroughs.
She calls it “Luscious Mexican Lasagna.” It is a healthful version of enchiladas and totally delicious. You can make it with leftover turkey, ground turkey or ground beef.
Luscious Mexican Lasagna
Ingredients*
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups chopped onion, divided
2 tsp. ground cumin, divided
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 T. lime juice
2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated zucchini
1/4 cup canned green chilies
1 lb. organic, grass-fed ground beef (this recipe works great with leftover or ground turkey as well)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup salsa or picante sauce, plus additional salsa for serving
4, 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup shredded hard cheese such as cheddar, or substitute a vegan cheese alternative such as Vegan Gourmet cheddar flavor
*Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Heat 1 T. oil in skillet over medium heat. Add ¾ cup onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1 tsp. cumin and coriander and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in beans, cilantro and lime juice. Heat through, remove from skillet into bowl and set aside. Rinse and dry skillet. Saute¢ remaining onion in oil for 5 minutes. Add carrots and zucchini and cook 5 more minutes.
Add ground beef and cook until browned. Stir in chili powder, garlic powder, green chilies, and remaining cumin. Cook for 3 minutes. Add salsa and simmer for 2 more minutes. Layer 2 tortillas, tearing to fit pan, half of bean mixture, and half of ground beef mixture. Repeat layers and top with cheese. Bake 30 minutes until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted. Let lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with additional salsa, if desired.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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© 2008 CK Wilde. All Rights Reserved. Please feel free to link to this post but you must have prior written permission (please use the comments) to reproduce this post either whole or in part.
