Reinvent Your Thanksgiving Leftovers With These Great Recipes

Written by Halle of Whole Lifestyle Nutrition

I just love Thanksgiving. It is such a magical day from the minute we wake up until the minute we lay our heads on the pillow at night. What’s not to love? A warm cozy house that smells amazing, family and friends filling the house with love and laughter, and a long list of things to be grateful for.

This year my family enjoyed an amazing feast. As usual, I always cook way more than I need so that we can enjoy the leftovers for a few days after Thanksgiving. I mean really, the day just passes by so quickly so why not make it linger a bit longer, right?

I have come to love not only Thanksgiving day but the entire Thanksgiving weekend. Why? Because I eat like a queen all weekend long. I have always challenged myself to come up with new recipes that feature the leftover ingredients from Thanksgiving. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Sourdough Baked Brie Sandwiches With Orange Cranberry Jam

Sandwiches have always intrigued me, especially grilled sandwiches. I just love the taste of buttery crunchy bread smothered with all kinds of goodness between them.

For this sandwich, I have all different kinds of textures and flavors going on. The Brie offers a smooth velvety texture with a mild flavor. The orange cranberry jam has a nice tartness to it with a hint of sweetness from the orange. The arugula offers a spicy kick and the sourdough bread offers a slightly sour flavor.

I just love a true sourdough bread. Did you know that sourdough bread can actually be good for you?

Sourdough bread has some amazing health benefits, making this sandwich more healthier for you. You can read about the health benefits in my article, A Healthy Bread That Is Good For You!

Sourdough Baked Brie Sandwiches with Orange Cranberry Jam

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Sourdough Baked Brie Sandwiches with Orange Cranberry Jam

Ingredients:

8 pieces sourdough bread
4 tbsp grass fed butter
8 ounces sliced turkey
4 oz of brie
arugula to taste
1/4 cup leftover cranberry sauce (recipe given below if using fresh cranberries)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice,
1/2 tsp orange zest

Method:

For jam:

If making jam with fresh cranberries, see recipe
If you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, simply add the cranberry sauce, juice of the orange and the orange zest
Stir and allow to marinate for several hours at room temperature. You now have orange cranberry jam!

For Sandwiches

Butter one side of each piece of bread with a 1/2 tbsp of butter. On the other side spread on a 1/2 tbsp of the jam.
Place 1 ounce of cheese, 2 oz of turkey and some arugula between two pieces of bread, leaving the two buttered pieces on the outside. Do this step again 3 more times to create all 4 sandwiches.
Preheat a skillet on medium low heat. This will take some time to heat through, so be sure to cook your sandwiches slowly to assure that the cheese has time to melt.
Place the sandwiches into the preheated skillet and cover with a lid.
Keep an eye on your sandwiches. This sandwich usually takes about 5 minutes per side to cook.
When the grilled sandwiches are slightly brown, flip over and continue to cook on the other side until they are golden brown.
Serve hot.

https://www.myhumblekitchen.com/2012/11/reinvent-your-thanksgiving-leftovers-with-these-great-recipes/

Need Some More Great Leftover Recipes?

Here are some more great Thanksgiving leftover recipes. A quick tip ~ almost any recipe that calls for chicken can easily be substituted with turkey.

Homemade Turkey Stock ~ If you saved your turkey carcass then you are in luck for this recipe. Stock has so many healthy benefits to it. This recipe is super easy to make and will freeze really well. Another quick tip, fill an ice cube tray with stock and freeze it. Now you have a quick and easy solution when a recipe calls for just a little chicken or turkey stock.
Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Soup ~ Do you have leftover sweet potatoes or pumpkin? Try this amazing pumpkin soup, (you can substitute the pumpkin puree with any squash or sweet potato puree).
Frittata ~ Use up your turkey for breakfast in this wonderful frittata recipe. Simply substitute the bacon/pancetta with turkey and you will have a delicious brunch or breakfast dish.
Maple Butternut Turkey Casserole ~ Here is one of my favorite fall time dishes. This dish comes together super easy and makes a wonderful 1 dish meal that everyone will enjoy.
Turkey Pot Pie – What is not to love about a pot pie? Gooey, warm with an amazing flakey crust…oh my! Just replace the chicken with turkey. Oh and did I mention this recipe is gluten free too? Also learn how to make your own condensed cream soup in this recipe.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Orange Cranberry Jam ~ If you make the sandwich featured above, then you will know how to quickly make this delicious jam.
Creamy Turkey Sandwiches ~ Another classic! Replace the chicken with turkey and you will have healthy creamy turkey to top on your favorite bread.
Pancetta, Sprouts & Squash ~ Did you serve brussel sprouts with your Thanksgiving feast this year? Talk about reinventing brussel sprouts. This is my all time favorite way to cook up this delicious vegetable.
Pumpkin Pie or Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Do you have a lot of dessert left over? Cut the dessert into bite size pieces and use them as a mix in, in this easy ice cream recipe. Now you can make my 10 minute ice cream, no equipment needed and you will have a delicious new dessert.