Turkey Enchiladas

Faced with some delicious leftover turkey and wanting a departure from the Thanksgiving melange of flavors, I went Mexican. Try this for something different: spread non-fat refried beans on wraps ( roll-ups), add a layer of salsa, leftover turkey, slivered almonds, crumbled goat cheese,and sprinkle with cumin . Roll up and put in a baking dish. Make a white sauce ( basically milk with heaping TBS flour to thicken- butter is optional) , add cinnamon and nutmeg and stir over heat until creamy. Cover enchiladas with sauce, top with coarsely grated parmesan and bake until bubbly. This works well with any leftover meat or poultry.

Ginger Chicken

Last night , I tried to be creative with two boring chicken breasts and came up with a spicy and aromatic sauce with the crunch of slivered almonds and the sweetness of raisins. I sauteed a large shallot in olive oil, browned the chicken breast and covered them with white wine. While they were simmering I added 2tbs powdered ginger ( fresh ginger would be better but alas I didn't have any on hand)2 tsp curry powder, large handfuls of raisins and slivered almonds and covered the pan. When they were done and the sauce thickened, I added a dollop of creme fraiche to compliment the pungent spices. I served the chicken and sauce over pappardelle pasta with some french green and yellow beans with baby carrots ( the frozen combo from Trader Joe's is excellent especially if you steam them until crunchy). Not so boring after all!

Sunday brunch

Poached pears in wine and cinnamon sticks are a great way to warm up the kitchen with the scent of fall. Sunday I made eggs benedict with a low fat ersatz "Hollandaise" that I think is even better than the real thing...and much easier. In a small sauce pan, put 4-5 TBS The Ojai Cook's Lemonaise Lite, 1 TBS spicy mustard, whisk in no-fat Half and Half ( or soy creamer) until the sauce is smooth and the consistency of hollandaise and heat until warm and bubbly. Top off rounds of toasted English muffins layered with ham ( or smoked salmon) with poached eggs and drizzle with sauce. I poached the pear halves ( I scooped out the seeds) turned them upsidedown with the skin on, poured in about an inch or two of white wine, added some cinnamon sticks, covered and put them in a 350 degree oven for about an hour until firm but tender. I served them with a ball of goat cheese that I had rolled in crushed pecans and drizzled with a blasamic glaze. I served the eggs and pears on a bed of baby spinach...it was delicious!