Crispy Turkey Salad Recipes

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;

Steps:

• Cracklings Turkey:.
• Remove frozen skin from plastic bag and cut it into roughly 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/4 cups).
• Combine the skin, 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan and briskly simmer mixture, stirring occasionally (the skin tends to stick to the bottom), until water is evaporated and cracklings begin to fry in their own fat (you'll hear the sizzling), about 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat and continue to fry the cracklings slowly, stirring frequently, until deep golden and crisp, about 10 to 20 minutes longer.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
• NOTE: You can cook the cracklings up to 2 days heads. And reheat in a heavy skillet before adding to salad.
• For the salad:.
• In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add garlic cloves and set aside to steep.
• Cut the kale into thin ribbons: gather a large handful of leaves, bunch together tightly, and use the other hand to slice into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.).
• Place chopped kale in a very large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese and shredded turkey. Remove and discard garlic cloves from dressing. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Top with turkey cracklings. Serve within 1 hour.

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.

Steps:

• In a bowl, mash the egg with a fork. Add turkey, mayonnaise and relish. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Stir in pecans just before serving.