Thanksgiving by far is one of my favorite holidays. Thanksgiving day is one of those days where you are allowed to eat as much as you want, enjoy your family, watch football, take a nap and then repeat. After a couple of days of eating leftovers, my family is ready for something a little different…. but we ALWAYS have turkey left…and lots of it! This year I decided to make turkey salad with celery and cranberries. This is one of those meals that you can prepare and refrigerate over night and serve the next day for lunch or dinner on your favorite bread, crackers or with lettuce.
To begin I start by shredding my turkey, then I chop up some celery, a few roasted pecans, sweet dried cranberries, green onions and parsley. Then I mix it all with organic Greek yogurt, a little bit of mayonnaise, salt and black pepper to taste.
In a bowl mix ingredients
Adding cranberries gives this salad that extra little kick. In the summer when I make chicken salad, I add in dried apricots, green apples and dried cherries… So why not cranberries in the fall and winter? They are in season, they provide a beautiful color contrast, as well as a sweet and tangy flavor.
Turkey Salad with Celery and Cranberries on Whole Wheat Bread
Personally, I like my turkey salad on top of crackers.. yeah right, who am I kidding? Give me whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes…….. okay so I’m a sandwich geek, but simplicity is the key after working all week and preparing a delicious wonderful feast for your family.
Ingredients:
3 cups finely chopped or diced celery
4 cups of cooked chopped/shredded turkey
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley ( fresh)
4 green onion, chopped or minced
1/2 cup roasted pecans, rough chop
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs of mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt ( can use low fat)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the salt and pepper. Mix well or until all of the ingredients are combined. Add in the salt and pepper and mix. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate up to 3-4 hour or over night to blend flavors.
Serves 8
