Crispy Turkey Salad Recipes

CRISPY TURKEY TOSTADAS

Steps:

• Shredded leftover turkey tops homemade tostadas in this Tex-Mex favorite. Making your own tostada shells from fresh corn tortillas is easier than you might think-crisp them up in the oven while you prepare the toppings. Choose either regular petite diced tomatoes or those with added jalapenos, depending on your inclination for spicy food. Serve with black beans, rice and extra salsa or hot sauce on the side.;
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375degreesF. Bring tomatoes and their juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Add turkey (or chicken) and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Meanwhile, coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Divide the tortillas between 2 large baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until crisped and lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in salsa, sour cream and cilantro until combined. To assemble tostadas, spread each crisped tortilla with some of the avocado mixture. Top with the turkey (or chicken) mixture, lettuce and cheese.
• NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 397 calories; 15 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 86 mg cholesterol; 34 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 8 g fiber; 621 mg sodium; 709 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin A & Vitamin C (20% daily value), Iron (15% dv). 2 Carbohydrate Servings Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat
• TIP: To poach chicken breasts, place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a medium skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes.
• From www.eatingwell.com with permission. 2009 Eating Well Inc. Photo by Ken Burris;

CRISPY PORK CHEEK, BELLY OR TURKEY-THIGH SALAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• When you're ready to cook, rinse the meat in cold water; if you're using the oven (see next step), heat to 300. Put the fat in a pot that will allow you to submerge the meat, or nearly so. If you're using lard or duck fat, heat it in the oven until melted; if you're using oil, warm it.
• Submerge the meat in the fat, put a piece of parchment paper directly on top and weigh the paper down with something (I used a wooden spoon) to keep it in place. Cook slowly on top of the stove or in the oven, adjusting the heat as necessary so the fat bubbles gently - not rapidly - and turning the meat once or twice if it is not completely submerged. (You may wind up cooking at a temperature as low as 250.) It's done when you can easily pierce it with a skewer, 2 hours or longer for cheek and belly, 1 hour for turkey.
• Remove the meat from the fat. Proceed or refrigerate the meat, lightly covered, for a day or two. Heat the oven to 350. (If you're using turkey, drizzle the bread with olive oil.) Place the meat skin-side up directly on top of the slice of bread (you want the meat to just cover the bread; any bread that's exposed may burn). Put on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and roast, checking occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the skin becomes quite crisp, as little as 45 minutes or somewhat longer. Remove.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, capers, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning; the dressing should be quite sharp. Wash and dry the greens. If you're using turkey, pull out the thigh bones (they should slip out easily). With the meat still on top of the bread, chop the meat and bread into bite-size pieces (it doesn't matter if it crumbles a bit). Toss with the greens and the dressing, and serve.

CRISPY GROUND TURKEY TOSTADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place red onion slices and crema in separate small bowls. Zest limes into another small bowl. Halve limes and squeeze juice into a fourth small bowl.
• Stir 1 teaspoon lime juice into the bowl of crema. Add the remaining lime juice to the bowl with the red onions; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and let marinate at room temperature until pickled, at least 20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chayote and poblano pepper; cook, stirring constantly, until golden and tender, about 10 minutes.
• Coat tortillas on both sides with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crisped and lightly brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir the lime zest, 1/2 the cilantro, onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the chayote-poblano mixture. Pour mixture into a bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water, taco seasoning, and chili powder. Cook until water has evaporated, about 4 minutes.
• Spread guacamole over each crisped tortilla; top with chayote-poblano mixture, ground turkey, pickled onions, lime crema, and remaining cilantro.