Leftovers: Thanksgiving Sandwiches

By: Amanda Jade

My family takes Thanksgiving seriously.  Growing up, we regularly had a half dozen or more guests at our place throughout the day, plus even more for the leftover days.  I’m fairly certain it had to do with Mom’s Thanksgiving Sandwiches.  There are only so many days one can eat the same meal on a plate and we always made enough to feed an army,  So one year Mom got creative.  She took a good sized spoonful of stuffing, tossed it into a sauté pan with a bit of oil and bits and pieces of the collection of leftovers and pan-fried the most delicious sandwich I’ve ever had (second only to her fried meatloaf sandwiches, it’s a trend).

This recipe is rather fast and loose with the ingredients, as everyone makes a different variation on Thanksgiving Dinner.  Feel free to be as creative as you would like! Try it as a wrap!

Ingredients:

• Stuffing
• Turkey, shredded
• Green Beans
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Cranberry Sauce
• Bread
• Mayo or other Condiments
• Honey Baked Ham, sliced and shredded, optional
• Butter or Oil

Directions:

1.   Heat a little butter or oil in a pan and add the turkey, ham and green beans.  Cook until just heated through.
2.   Add the stuffing and mashed potatoes, creating a kind of pancake and incorporating everything into a patty-like shape.
3.   Apply mayo to your bread and add your Thanksgiving patty.
4.   Drizzle gravy and cranberry sauce over your Thanksgiving patty.
5.   Consume carefully to avoid wasting even a tiny drop.

I have made this recipe using other Holiday leftovers.  I’ve even added a scrambled egg to keep it all held together.  Macaroni and cheese makes a great mashed potato substitute, as does cheesy mashed cauliflower.  Sometimes I even pull this one out on leftovers day, just for a change.  The possibilities are limited only to what you have in your fridge.

A Quick and Easy Dinner Menu for a Busy Night: Chicken with Mango Salsa

The Menu:

Chicken with Mango Salsa
Rice Pilaf
Spring Greens with Cherry Tomatoes

Start the rice pilaf first, unless you are using instant it will take longer than the chicken.

Mango Chicken

4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
garlic salt

Skin and bone chicken, trim off all visible fat.

Lay one chicken breast half on a flat surface lined with plastic wrap.

Place another piece of plastic wrap onto chicken breast.

Pound chicken thin with the flat side of a mallet or the bottom of a bottle by hitting downward onto the chicken then sliding the bottle or mallet outward to the edge. The next blow goes outward in the opposite direction, until the chicken is evenly thin all around. Not a lot of force is needed, most of the thinning is done by the outward slide. This should not take but a minute per chicken breast. If you don’t want to pound the breasts, then just cook them a little longer until done.

Season the chicken breasts with garlic salt.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan. Saute the chicken in the butter and oil until cooked. Remove to a warm plate or platter.

Top with mango salsa and serve. I place the chicken on a bed of rice pilaf, then top with the mango salsa.

Mango Salsa

2 cups diced fresh or canned mango pulp
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper (green is ok, but red looks nicer)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 hot chili pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Combine all ingredients, blend well. Allow flavors to blend while chicken cooks.

Serve with a salad of spring greens, cherry tomatoes, and your favorite dressing along side a rice pilaf.

Dinner: Healthy Quick Recipe Ideas — Pork Piccata over Spinach Pasta

Because the pork is so thin, it cooks very quickly. Serve this flavorful pork piccata over a bed of spinach pasta (recipe follows.)

[Read the rest of this entry…]

Dinner: Healthy Quick Recipe Ideas — Sauteed Pork Chops with Chutney Glaze

A healthy and quick to make recipe for Sauteed Pork Chops with a Chutney Glaze. 

Sauteed Pork Chops with Chutney Glaze
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 thin sliced pork chops
¼ cup dry Madeira Wine
1/3 cup chutney, chopped
1 large lime
salt and black pepper

1. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat.
2. Add pork chops and cook until browned on both sides, removing to a platter when done.
3. Add wine to drippings and stir to loosten brown bits on bottom of pan (fond).
4. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is reduced by half.
5. Reduce heat to medium, return the pork chops to the skillet and add the chutney.
6. Cover and simmer until pork is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
7. Meanwhile, slice half the lime thinly for garnish. Squeeze juice from remaining half and add to the pork. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve pork chops garnished with lime slices.

Try Minute Steaks for a Quick Easy Meal

Minute steaks are ideal for quick easy meals. Because they are thinly cut, usually less than 1/4 inch thick, and pounded tender, these beef round or sirloin steaks cook very quickly.

Lightly season the steaks and dust in flour if desired. Pan fry in a little olive or vegetable oil for one minute, or until brown, turn and brown the other side. Top with your favorite sauce or make a pan gravy.

To make the gravy, add a teaspoon of flour to the pan and stir fry for a minute til light brown. add a little water to the pan and scrape up any bits of fond stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and pour over the steaks. Fried onions or mushrooms are nice additions to the gravy.
About Minute Steaks:

Minute steaks are cut from the sirloin or round steak. The meat is then pounded thin to tenderize it.

It is important to quickly cook the meat and not allow it to dry out.

Cube steaks can be substituted for minute steaks and are sometimes referred to as minute steaks. Cube steaks also cook very quickly.

A Quick and Easy Chicken Recipe As the Center of a Meal in Minutes

These chicken recipes will make you feel like a gourmet cook in front of your family and friends! No one would guess you prepared this dish in minutes. But that is okay; we won’t tell! This dish cooks on top of the stove in a matter of minutes. Add some minute brown rice and steamed broccoli for a quick, easy, and complete meal that is quick and easy. If you want to serve dessert, that can be quick and easy, too. Serve vanilla ice cream topped with fresh berries.

Quick and Easy Chicken with Wine Sauce

4 (1 lb) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup whipping cream

Pound each chicken breast to about 1/4-inch thickness. On waxed paper or in a pie plate, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the mushrooms and wine to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes. Add the parsley and whipping cream to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, a couple of minutes or until the sauce thickens. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com

For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

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