November 25, 2013

Leftover Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Sesame Ginger Dressing

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After yesterday’s Neighborhood Friendsgiving (and the customary 2nd dinner last night) I was left with half of a 24 pound turkey. I’ve been trying to think of recipes that will incorporate all that delicious turkey, and none of them  were appealing to me after a whole day of eating (and drinking) too much. Turkey soup and hot turkey sandwiches just don’t sound good when you’re already turkey-ed out and feeling fat.  I was racking my brain for a lighter alternative to the traditional leftover turkey recipes, and one that didn’t incorporate stuffing or cranberry sauce (2nd dinner is for that). I think you’ll find that your belly and waistline will thank you when you give this recipe a try.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I use this recipe for dressing all the time for chicken marinade, cold noodle dishes and salad. It is a great thing to just have on hand in your fridge!

Leftover Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Sesame Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

For wraps:

• leftover turkey (white meat if you have it), diced
• head of iceburg lettuce (could use romaine too)
• grated carrot
• diced, peeled, cucumber
• avocado, sliced
• red onion slices (thin as possible)
• Scallions (cilantro would be good too)
• Toasted sesame seeds

*How much you use of the ingredients above is really to your taste, and based on how much turkey you have leftover/how many wraps you want to make. There is no right or wrong way to make these, so don’t worry!

For Dressing

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1 inch peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

*If you don’t have time to make this dressing, I highly recommend Newman’s Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger dressing too! 

Directions:

1. Make dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and pulsing until all big chunks are gone. Set aside (the longer the better).
2. Separate big leaves of lettuce from the head (I cut off the stump at the bottom and used the sturdier section near the bottom to lift the pieces off, but it can still be a tricky process).
3. Rinse lettuce leaves and leave to dry on a towel.
4. In a bowl combine turkey (use as much as you want), scallions (1 scallion per cup of turkey) and enough dressing to make turkey moist but not swimming in it. I used about 3 Tbs per 1 cup turkey.
5. Construct lettuce wraps with turkey, avocado, carrots, carrots, onion and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Being careful to not overfill, and working with careful hands, roll up the lettuce and fillings like a burrito.
6. If you have trouble rolling these up then just use all the ingredients in a salad instead. It is  less fancy, but equally delicious!

Here are some pictures from the annual Friendsgiving at our house! We made one of the turkeys and everyone else brought the rest!