Recipe Re-Post!!

This recipe was so good I had to post it again! No need to head to that expensive Chang's place when you can make your own NK-Chang's!

Click here for Asian Lettuce Wraps!

You'll thank me later!

Thanksgiving Pizza- Liberated Leftovers!

I've been trying to thing of what the heck we can all do with the leftover Thanksgiving food that we will inevitably all have, either from hosting the family gathering or will have packed up for us to take home. I don't know about you but I can only have so many turkey sandwiches before I don't want to see another one until after the new year!

Let's begin a "leftover revolution" and LIBERATE, RESCUE & UNCHAIN our Thanksgiving leftovers from its depressing, monotonous and unemotional existence!

I welcome to you: Thanksgiving Pizza! (You can thank me later!)

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 12" prepared pizza crust, like Boboli or follow the easy directions to bake up a Pillsbury crust
• 1/2 cup of gravy
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 cup leftover turkey, shredded or chopped into smaller pieces
• 1-2 cups of other leftovers such as stuffing, green bean casserole, corn, etc...
• 1 tsp. dried thyme (optional)
• 1 tsp. dried sage (optional)
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Assemble pizza by spreading gravy on prepared pizza crust, followed by spreading mashed potatoes, sprinkling turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole and any other leftovers you feel would be tasty! Top with herbs and cheese, then bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

You Could Also Try...

• Try using the smaller, personal-size pizza crusts so everyone in your family can create their own Thanksgiving pizza.
• Save yourself time and dishes! Instead of dirtying a million food storage containers, assemble the pizza right after Thanksgiving dinner, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Take from fridge to oven!

"NK-CHANG'S" Asian Lettuce Wraps

Everyone and their mother has had P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps. They are pretty impressive, I must say! But why don't we save ourselves the hour-long line and the overpriced dinner and make our own! I got this recipe from Cooking Light magazine and tweaked it a little to my likings- and that's what cooking is about. You need to get an idea and then personalize the flavors to your taste buds!

So please enjoy these Asian Lettuce Wraps made with ground turkey, I especially hope follower Laura Drake enjoys them!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• cooking spray (PAM)
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 Tbls. fresh ginger, grated & peeled
• 1 Tbls. brown sugar
• 2 Tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 Tbls. fresh mint, chopped
• 2 Tbls. lime juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (I use jarred)
• 12 Boston bibb OR butter lettuce OR iceberg lettuce OR napa cabbage leaves
• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Begin to heat a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray the bottom of the pan, add turkey and ginger, toss with a wooden spoon frequently, and cook until turkey is done, about 8 minutes. If there is grease in the turkey mixture, drain it. Stir in green onions, brown sugar, herbs, lime juice, oils and jalapeno into the turkey mixture to heat through. Transfer to a large bowl. Spoon 1/3 cup of turkey mixture into each lettuce/cabbage leaf, sprinkle with peanuts and enjoy. You didn't even have to make reservations or overpay!

You Could Also Try...

• Use ground pork, chicken or beef instead of turkey if you so desire! Just be sure to drain off the extra grease. You could even make this with tofu for a fully vegetarian meal.
• Cooking Light magazine suggests serving these lettuce wraps with a Chenin blanc wine.

Turkey Chili & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

I can't take credit for this one- I saw Rachael Ray make this last week and thought it was a delicious idea. Who doesn't look some hearty chili on a cool, fall day, with a decadent layer of mashed sweet potatoes! I've linked Rachael's recipe here, and the following is my recipe; I added and subtracted ingredients to adjust it to my likings- for example, I always add a beer to chili, and I added a few more veggies to increase fiber. This is another recipe that I'll be able to enjoy a few times this week, and so should you!

Recipe & Ingredients:

Printable Recipe

• 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, cubed
• 3 Tbls. butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• dash of cinnamon
• S & P to taste

Place cubed potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, drain and return to saucepan. Add butter, milk and seasonings and mash with a potato masher until desired consistency. Set aside.

• 1 package or 1 1/2lbs. ground turkey
• vegetable spray
• 1/2 diced white onion
• 1 large carrot, peeled then chopped finely (you could also shred)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or put through garlic-press
• 2 Tbls. chopped jalapeno (optional) (I used jarred)
• 3 Tbls. chili powder
• 1 Tbls. cumin
• 1 Tbls. paprika
• 3 Tbls. tomato paste (I use the kind in the tube for easy storage)
• 1 bottle of beer (I used pumpkin ale, use whatever you like, or substitute 1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock)
• 1 can Reduced Sodium tomato soup
• 1/2 frozen corn kernels
• 1 can beans, drained (black beans or red kidney beans would be great options)
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat your large dutch oven or big pot over medium heat, spray the bottom with a coating of vegetable spray and brown the ground turkey meat. Add the onions, carrots and garlic, jalapeno, and spices, saute for 10 minutes until tender. Stir in tomato paste, beer/stock, tomato soup + 1/2 can of water, season with S&P, and bring up to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, for 20-30 minutes until all the flavors have blended nicely and it has reduced down. Stir in corn and beans, cook 5 minutes until warmed through. Let cool 15 minutes or so.

Carefully, transfer the chili into a deeper baking dish, then evenly smooth the mashed sweet potatoes over the top. At this point you can store the dish in the fridge until dinner time, OR if you're eating right away, sprinkle the top of the potatoes with the cheese and then broil in the oven until bubbly and brown, about 10 minutes.

You Could Also Try...

• Fill individual ramekin dishes instead of one big dish


• Use white potatoes if you don't like sweet potatoes


• Tightly cover finished product (minus the cheese) with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze away for a rainy (or snowy, doh!) day. When you're ready to serve, take it right from freezer to oven and bake at 300 degrees until warmed through, sprinkle on cheese and turn up to broil for last 10 minutes.