Ideas for Day Two turkey

Nutritional ways to take leftovers beyond a sandwich

After spending hours roasting your turkey to perfection, you might prefer making your turkey leftovers into another entrée, rather than the usual sandwich. With a little creative pre-shopping and stocking, you can take your Day Two turkey from boring to amazing.

Simple, fresh ingredients full of nutrition and flavor can take leftover turkey to a different level, says Marisa Paolillo, nutritionist with NuVal. NuVal’s nutritional scoring system uses a scale from 1 to 100. Foods and beverages are scored based on their nutritional content, with the most nutritious choices scoring highest. Some grocery retailers, include Kroger’s pilot program in some areas, now provide these scores on food shelf tags to help shoppers find more nutritious food choices.

Curried Turkey with Raisins and Mushrooms

1½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (NuVal 18)
12 ounces boneless, skinless turkey breast diced into one-inch cubes (NuVal 57)
2 cups fresh white mushrooms (NuVal 100)
2 ups sliced cremini mushrooms (NuVal 100)
½ medium red or green bell pepper, chopped into squares (NuVal 100)
2 ups chicken or turkey broth
1 cup raisins (NuVal-88)
2 cups instant whole grain rice (NuVal-91)
1½ tablespoons curry powder
Basil leaves, chopped (NuVal-100)

Heat extra virgin olive oil in large saute pan. With heat on medium high, heat up leftover turkey in pan. If turkey is raw, cook turkey strips at least five minutes.

Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth. Mix in raisins, rice and curry powder. Bring to boil then reduce heat and cover. Simmer until rice is done.

Fluff with fork, remove from heat. Let sit three to five minutes and garnish with basil before serving.

The experts at NuVal suggest putting these power-packed foods on your grocery list to create new menu options for turkey leftovers. Here are some ideas with NuVal scores:

Spice it

Pair reheated turkey with baked spiced apples. Core and slice fresh apples (NuVal 100) and combine with raisins (NuVal 88), chopped pecans (NuVal 71), cinnamon and lemon. Roast for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. No need to add sugar. The apples provide all the sweetness you need.

Wrap it

For a lighter take on the traditional sandwich, chop cold turkey in small pieces and layer with raw vegetables, avocado (NuVal 88), mustard, Romaine lettuce (NuVal 100), tomatoes (NuVal 100), sliced red or green bell peppers (NuVal 100), shredded carrots (NuVal 100) and cucumbers (NuVal 100) in a tortilla wrap.

Curry it

Need a quick 30-minute post-Thanksgiving meal? This savory and sweet recipe is simple to make and combines protein-rich turkey with the earthy flavors of mushrooms and the sweet, spicy tones of raisins and curry.

Find more recipes, food scores and ideas for nutrient-rich ingredients to spice up your holiday dishes at nuval.com.