I’m sure today you’ve had your fill of turkey. If you’re like me you don’t want to see another turkey, much less eat it, for months (probably until next Thanksgiving!). But like me you more than likely have lots of leftover turkey. Okay, maybe you’d like to repeat last night’s Thanksgiving dinner just one more time, but I’m sure by the weekend you’ll desperately trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the turkey.
Don’t toss it! Sure you can make turkey sandwiches, and soups, but here’s a way to turn that leftover Thanksgiving turkey into something that doesn’t even remind you of the meal you stuffed yourself with on Thanksgiving. I make this yummy Turkey Enchilada Bake. It’s delicious and keto friendly too, just in case you’ve decided to start that Keto Diet after the holiday. In fact you’ll love it so much you’ll probably make it through out the year without using leftover turkey!
This recipe uses my homemade Enchilada Sauce, so if you don’t already have some in the fridge you can make some now. It’s super easy to make and will take you less than half an hour. Believe me it’s worth it! Click here for my Enchilada Sauce recipe.
Turkey Enchilada Bake
Ingredients:
2 Cups shredded leftover Thanksgiving Turkey or freshly cooked turkey cut into strips
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 Tbs Chili Powder
8 Flour or Low Carb Flour Tortillas (use low carb for keto friendly dish)
I love Mexican food but Enchiladas were never one of my favorites. I tried to love it, but something about it just wasn’t working for me. It took me a while, but I finally realized what wasn’t working was the canned Enchilada Sauces I found at the grocery store.
Sure there are several brands out there, in fact it got quite confusing. But no matter which sauce I bought it simply didn’t taste good to me or for that matter the rest of the family didn’t find them that great either. They much preferred the Enchilada Sauce they would order from the Mexican restaurant. There aren’t that many really good Mexican restaurants in Honolulu so I had to find a way to make homemade Enchiladas just as good as the ones we found at the few restaurants we like. And since we didn’t care for the canned sauce then clearly the only option was homemade sauce.
So I started trying to figure out just how to make Enchilada Sauce and the first thing I learned is that there are not tomatoes in any way shape or form in Enchilada Sauce. I was surprised and so was everyone in the family! That’s right no tomatoes in Enchilada Sauce! Of course I’m talking about the RED Enchilada Sauce, I’ve yet to make the green variety. But I will and once I get it right I’ll share that too!
So what’s in Enchilada Sauce you ask? Chicken or Veggie Stock (the veggie stock is great if you want a vegan version), Roux, and spices. That’s it! And to make it even better it’s super easy to make, it takes less than half an hour! I make a pot of it and store the sauce in jars in the fridge. The longer it sits in the fridge the better the sauce tastes. So now my fridge is always stocked with homemade Enchilada Sauce along with my Marinara Sauce! I spend a morning once a month to re-stock, that way I’ll always have my favorite 2 sauces on hand.
You can use this Enchilada Sauce on anything you want. Pour it over your favorite meats and roll in tortillas for delicious enchiladas or use it in a casserole. I use it on my Keto friendly Chicken or Steak Enchiladas, they come out great. Whatever you use it on it will turn out delicious!
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Chili Powder
1 Tbs. Garlic Powder
1 Tbs. Cumin Powder
1 Tbs. Dried Oregano
1 Quart Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Salt to taste
Directions:
Heat Olive Oil in a medium saucepan
Whisk in flour to make a blond roux, be careful not to burn the flour
Whisk in the spices except the salt
Slowly pour in the stock while whisking to blend the spices and roux in to it
Add salt to taste
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened
Use with your favorite meats or veggies or pour into jars and store in the fridge.
This recipe will make enough to fill 1 quart jar and almost 1 pint jar. If storing sauce pour into jars and cool before covering with a tight lid and placing in the fridge.
Whisk in flour to make a blond roux, be careful not to burn the flour
Whisk in the spices except the salt
Slowly pour in the stock while whisking to blend the spices and roux in to it
Add salt to taste
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened
Use with your favorite meats or veggies or pour into jars and store in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
This recipe will make about 5 pints. That's enough to fill 1 Quart size jar and almost 1 pint size jar. Cool before covering tightly and storing in the fridge.
South West or Tex Mex Egg Rolls are featured appetizers at many well known restaurant chains. It’s one of my favorites at Chili’s and Cheesecake Factory where I order them all every time we choose to dine at one of them. I know they’re considered appetizers but most of the time I order them as my main course, that way I get a whole plate of them to myself!
I’ve actually seen them frozen and ready to fry at several grocery stores. They’re marketed as the “original” Chili’s or Cheesecake Factory Egg Rolls. They also carry a hefty price tag which I’m not willing to pay for something I still have to fry!
But I can definitely make these yummy crunchy rolls of Tex Mex goodness at home. It’s super easy! I usually make a big batch and freeze some for later, they freeze very well.
Now there are 2 versions of this Egg Roll, one uses actual Egg Roll wrapper usually found at any Asian Market, and the other rolls the filling in flour tortillas. The former makes for a delicate crispy egg roll as the wrapper is a thin pastry just like the egg rolls you’ll find at most Asian restaurants. The latter has a different look and crunch as the tortilla is a much thicker wrapper. Either way they’re delicious!
I use the frozen grilled chicken strips to make my egg rolls, but you can make your one cooked chicken to use in this recipe. This recipe makes a large pot, whatever I don’t roll into egg rolls I make into bowls by serving it over a bowl of Mexican Rice and Refried Beans.
To freeze roll the filling in egg roll wrapper or tortillas and place in freezer bags. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
These egg rolls are delicious dipped in a Creamy Avocado Sauce or topped with Pico De Gallo. The recipe for the sauce is included at the bottom of the egg roll recipe.
South West Egg Rolls
Ingredients:
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 Pkg. Frozen Grilled Chicken Strips, thawed and diced
1/2 Onion, diced
2 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Tomato, diced and patted dry with paper towel.
1 Can Black Beans, drained
1 Can Corn Kernels, drained
1 – 2 Tbs. Cumin, adjust to taste
1 – 2 Tbs. Chili Powder, adjust to taste
1 Tbs. Salt
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese
1 Pkg. Frozen Egg Roll Wrappers or 8″ Flour Tortillas
Oil for frying
Directions:
Heat Olive Oil in large pan.
Saute onions about 1 minute or until they start to turn translucent.
Add garlic and continue to saute.
Add peppers and cook until peppers start to get a bit soft.
Add Chicken, beans, and corn.
Add in Cumin, Chili Powder, and Salt. Mix until well combined.
Add Tomatoes and cook until any liquid in the pan starts to thicken.
Add Cilantro and cook until it starts to wilt.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts.
Set aside and prepare your wrappers.
Place a heaping tablespoon in the center of your wrapper and spread into a line across.
Roll the filling in the wrapper burrito style.
Heat about 2″ of oil in a frying pan or use a deep fryer if you have one.
Fry rolls in oil until golden brown.
Cut each roll in half diagonally and serve hot with Avocado Dipping Sauce.
Creamy Avocado Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
1 Ripe Avocado mashed
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
St. Louis–style ribs just might be the best kind of ribs. For the traditional style, use spareribs and ask your butcher to cut them “St. Louis style”. This simply means that the breastbone will be cut off and the ribs will be in a rectangular shape. To get REALLY traditional, you’ll want to smoke your ribs, but we opted to bake ours in the oven for convenience. Oven-baked ribs still get perfectly tender and will be falling right off the bone!
YIELDS: 6 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 0 HOURS 10 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS 35 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
3 lb. spareribs
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 tbsp. butter, cut into cubes
1 c. barbecue sauce
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. If your ribs have a thin membrane over the bones on the backside, remove by carefully sliding a knife under the membrane and then peeling it away.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and seasonings. Rub mixture all over ribs until well coated.
Evenly distribute butter cubes over ribs, wrap tightly in foil, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Switch oven to broil, unwrap ribs, and brush all over with barbecue sauce. Place back on baking sheet and broil until sauce starts to caramelize, 5 minutes.
Patatas Bravas is a favorite Spanish Tapa. Tapas of course are small portions of Spanish food that’s usually served with cocktails at bars or as appetizers. Or several types of Tapas can be cobbled together to make a meal. I love Tapas! It’s a great way to sample different types of Spanish food in one sitting.
Patatas Bravas is one of my favorites. It’s a simple dish of fried or baked potato wedges or cubes in a spicy sauce. I always order it when we’re in Barcelona or any other Spanish town or city. But traveling may prove to be difficult this year and we won’t be going on our usual Med Cruise or other European vacations. That’s why I’ve been making some of our favorite foods at home. After all eating local foods is a big part of traveling!
Lately I’ve been on a Spanish food kick and Patatas Bravas has been on top of my to make list. Everyone in my house loves it that it’s now become a family favorite. I serve it as an appetizer and as a side dish, either way it’s delicious!
Most places serve it with a mayonnaise based Garlic Aioli, but I like it without. You can make a simple Aioli by mixing together mayo, garlic powder, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Patatas Bravas
Ingredients:
6-8 Yukon Gold Potatoes – peeled and cut into wedges
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Minced Garlic
2 Tbs. Smoked Paprika
2 Tsp. Chili Powder
2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Directions:
Place potato wedges in a large pot and cover with water.
Bring water to boil and reduce heat.
Cook uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until just tender. (you don’t want them too soft, they will fall apart)
Drain and pat potatoes dry with paper towel.
Place in bowl.
Toss potatoes in Olive Oil and Garlic until evenly coated.
In a small bowl combine the rest of the spices and sprinkle over potatoes.
Toss potatoes in spice mix until evenly coated.
Place potatoes on a baking sheet, spread out in a single layer.
Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until crispy. Stir potatoes about half way thru baking time.
