When winter comes around, you’ll undoubtedly increase your turkey consumption. This versatile bird works wonders in a number of dishes.
In North America, turkey is a commonly consumed bird during the holiday season. In the United States specifically, Thanksgiving is the time of year most commonly associated with eating turkey. The bird’s importance to the holiday is evidenced by the fact that around 46 million turkeys are roasted every year at the end of November. That’s quite a figure!
Every year in the United States right before Thanksgiving, the nation tunes into watch the presidential “pardon” of a turkey on the White House lawn. The first President to do so was Ronald Reagan. At the time, Reagan was in a bit of trouble over a diplomatic incident which came to be known as the Iran-Contra affair. When reporters asked him whether he would issue a pardon for one of the US officials involved in the affair, he deflected the question by joking he would pardon a turkey instead. And thus began the yearly tradition which has continued ever since.
Aside from the cultural connotations linked in with the majestic turkey, there a number of health benefits you should also consider before consuming this tasty bird. Turkey, like other meats, is an extremely rich source of protein. And as with other forms of poultry, turkey is quite low in fat, so it makes a great ingredient in any post-workout meal.
But protein isn’t where turkey meat’s nutritional value ends. In fact, turkey also contains a wealth of B vitamins and amino acids. And perhaps most impressive is that consuming turkey regularly can help you avoid developing cancer later in life. This is because turkey meat contains trace mineral selenium, an important component for boosting your antioxidant defenses and general immune system. And to top it all off, turkey is as tasty as any other form of poultry. So why not enjoy this majestic bird all year round?
Transform your leftover turkey into something great
There’s nothing quite like consuming a huge amount of turkey meat on Thanksgiving or Christmas. But depending on how big your family is, it’s likely there’ll be leftovers for the next day or two. If this is the case, then it’s time to engage in another American tradition—creating delicious club sandwiches from your leftover turkey meat.
Along with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other leftover ingredients from the night before, this club sandwich will encapsulate all the elements of what makes holiday meals great, all between three pieces of bread. Add in some sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, and butter, and you’ve got yourself a tasty club sandwich.
A meal fit for a king
Thanksgiving and Christmas don’t have to be the only times of year where you can enjoy the meat of the turkey. On the contrary, this healthy, lean meat should be consumed much more often. After all, chicken can get boring sometimes. So the next time you’re thinking about buying some chicken breasts for an evening meal, try sourcing some juicy turkey breasts instead. If you’ve done so, then it’s time to start preparing a recipe for turkey breasts with stuffed mushrooms.
The marinade for this recipe is what really distinguishes it from the rest. In this case, a luscious mix of oil, honey, chopped scallions, garlic, and lemon juice will do the trick nicely. Rub this juicy mixture into your turkey breasts and set them aside for half an hour.
While your breasts are marinating, you can begin preparing the stuffing for your mushrooms. Feta is the key ingredient here, along with onion and garlic. Once your mushrooms are fully stuffed, you’ll want to bake them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until tender.
Pivoting back to the meatier side of the dish, you’re now ready to fry up those honey-glazed turkey breasts. Five minutes per side should be sufficient, but double check that they’re cooked all the way through before serving.
But wait—this dish isn’t complete without a fine garnish of chives, cherry tomatoes, and fresh oregano. Serve immediately, and enjoy.
Turkey burgers done right
You know the situation—winter is wearing on, but Christmas is over and you probably won’t be having turkey and that delicious homemade cranberry sauce for a while. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re hankering after some holiday culinary spirit, there’s nothing stopping you. In fact, there’s a recipe that’s bound to satisfy your holiday urges—a turkey burger with cranberry sauce. This magnificent burger recipe will allow you to re-capture those holiday vibes in no time.
Along with the titular ingredients, this recipe involves fried onion, mushroom, herbs, and a beaten egg. Combine these with your minced turkey breast and form the mixture into patties. Now comes the fun part—frying up your turkey patties until they’ve reached that crispy, golden-brown consistency. After you’ve made sure they’re cooked all the way through, add your patties to burger buns smeared with cranberry sauce. In terms of decoration, lettuce is all you’ll need.
