November 21, 2002

Prairie Fare: Give Thanks for Thanksgiving Leftovers

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

We’re moving into the holiday season where getting as stuffed as a Thanksgiving turkey becomes a regular event. If we stuff ourselves too much and too often, however, we may add an extra layer of "insulation." This extra padding often leads to post-holiday resolutions.

Don’t necessarily blame the turkey for weight gain. Among protein sources, turkey is lower in fat and calories than most other meats. Turkey is a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins, too.

On average, every American annually eats about 18 pounds of turkey. If you aren’t a turkey fan, someone else is gobbling up your portion. About 690 million pounds of turkey are devoured on Thanksgiving Day in the United States. The average-size holiday bird is about 15 pounds, and it’s made up of 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.

Nutritionally how does a standard 3.5-ounce portion of roasted turkey stack up? Nutritional content of turkey depends on whether it’s white meat or dark meat and with or without skin:

• Roasted turkey breast without skin: 161 calories and 4 grams of fat
• Roasted turkey breast with skin: 194 calories and 8 grams of fat
• Dark turkey meat without skin:192 calories and 8 grams of fat
• Dark turkey meat with skin: 232 calories and 13 grams of fat.

Consider cooking the stuffing in a separate container for both safety and nutritional reasons. Stuffing absorbs fat. If you choose to stuff the bird, stuff it loosely using no more than 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound of turkey. Cook the stuffing to at least 165 degrees.

Roasting the turkey on a rack also helps reduce fat content by allowing the fat to drain away from the bird. When making gravy, skim off the fat before adding thickening agents.

Perishable leftovers like turkey, gravy and stuffing should be safe as long as they are chilled rapidly in shallow containers within two hours of cooking. Stuffing should be removed from the turkey’s cavity right before serving, and meat should be removed from the bones before refrigerating.

If leftover turkey won’t be used within four days, it should be frozen in meal-size portions. For best quality, use frozen turkey within four months. Refrigerated gravy and stuffing are best used within two days. For best quality, use frozen stuffing and gravy within one month.

Here’s an easy way to make leftover turkey disappear.

Turkey Enchiladas

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chili peppers, drained
4 ounces lite cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 (16 ounce) jar salsa
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, undrained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix chili peppers, cream cheese, and cumin. Stir in chopped turkey. Place the tortillas in a microwave oven. Heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the tortillas are softened. Spread about 2 heaping tablespoons of the chili pepper mixture on each tortilla, and roll up. Place the rolled tortillas, seam-side down, in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the salsa and beans. Spoon the mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the top with cheese. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Makes 8 servings. Each serving contains 400 calories, 14 grams fat, 41 grams carbohydrate and 3 grams fiber.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu