Use those leftovers from Thanksgiving Dinner to make a tasty salad that is sure to please the whole family.
Oh my goodness can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving?! One of my favorite holidays is just a few short weeks away and I couldn’t be more excited! This year has been a rough one for our little family so, for me, it is even more important to spend these holidays with the ones I hold dear. Also, my boys are finally old enough to start understanding and enjoying holidays and they are already excited about Turkey day.
I don’t know why it is though every year, without fail, I always buy too big of a turkey. We always serve the same amount of turkey and I swear I buy the same size each year but we are always left with a fridge full of leftover turkey. And cranberries. And mashed potatoes. And every other side dish we served. It’s totally fine by me but my husband tends to get sick of turkey sandwiches after about a day. So this year I decided to plan ahead and have some recipes in my arsenal for when those “Please no more turkey sandwiches” requests come.
I know good and well that I have little self control when it comes to holiday meals so I wanted to come up with some healthier recipes I could make after the fact (or before too) that could help with my overeating the day of. Salads are a great healthy meal option and the lettuce is a great filler to make you feel full by not eating half a cow (or turkey). So I started with a mixed green salad as my base, added some turkey, swiss cheese, a few apple slices and topped it off with a homemade cranberry citrus vinaigrette. The end result was a crunchy, smooth salad bursting with flavor. The swiss cheese and apples complimented the turkey perfectly and the cranberry vinaigrette was the icing on the cake, or salad if you will. So don’t get stuck in the ol’ turkey sandwich for days after Thanksgiving rut. Give this salad a try; it is sure to make the whole family ask for seconds!
- 1 bag mixed green salad
- 1 cup cubed (or shredded) turkey
- 1 cup cubed swiss cheese
- 1/2 gala apple sliced in to small triangles
- 1 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce
- Juice from one orange (about 1/4 cup)
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Combine all ingredients for salad and toss to combine.
- Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth (about 25 seconds)
- Drizzle over salad
- Vinaigrette dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to one month
What’s your favorite way to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner leftovers? This recipe is just one of 10 tasty cranberry recipes featured in this month’s Monthly Ingredient Challenge. Hop on over and check out a few more ways to use this festive fruit.
I received the Apple Lovers Gift Box courtesy of Kauffmans Farm. All opinions and recipes are mine alone.
