November is my buffer month. Sandwiched between the colourful days of October’s fall and the glittery excitement of December, November is often just blah, right? School routines have somewhat settled down and days are getting darker and shorter. This is the time I prepare hearty and wholesome meals that my kids will eat without complaining. Meals that I can make without spending hours in the kitchen. Meals like this Golden Turkey Salad, and more.
Recently I have started marinating and cooking turkey strips and storing them in the freezer to simplify weeknight dinners. They often come as boneless breast scallopini. You can even use leftover turkey pieces for this recipe. Here are a few tips to get the meal prep routine going, starting with cooking the turkey strips.
Disclaimer: I have partnered with CANADIAN Turkey as part of their #TryTurkeyToday campaign to share with you my fondness for this very Canadian ingredient. As always the narrative and opinion is mine.
Prepping for the busy week with turkey strips
Make the marinade:
- 1 cup of yoghurt
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1/2 tsp smoky paprika or red chilli powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 pounds of turkey scallopini cut into strips
Method:
- Toss the strips in this marinade for 6-12 hours
- Heat a tsp of oil or ghee in a pan
- Add the strips in there and cook for 5 mins on each side
- Turkey strips cook fast
- Let them cool and then refrigerate for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
These turkey strips are enough for a couple of meals for 4 people. They have saved us from takeout more times than I can remember. Once cooked, they can be transformed into delicious meals with very little prep work.
Here are some ideas that have worked for my kitchen. Perhaps they will work for yours too.
Meal Ideas With Turkey Strips
- One-pot rice dish: Use turkey strips for this shortcut biryani recipe that is cooked in spicy, aromatic rice. See the shortcuts that make this from a Sunday special to a meal that you can enjoy any day of the week
- Turkey Makhani: This recipe, like all the others on my blog, have been tried and tested on my family of four picky eaters. I tend to use fewer spices to accommodate my kids’ palate. The makhani sauce has bold flavours though I mellow it down with coconut milk.
- Kebab cutlets: I use the cooked turkey scallopini with shredded leftover vegetables, roughly formed into small patties. Use soaked yellow lentils as a binder to hold it all together. Fry these up for a few minutes each side. The turkey is already cooked, so this is a faster shortcut to get food on the table.
- Turkey Stirfry: Start the wok with a tsp of oil, garlic, your favourite stir-fry sauce and tons and tons of veggies. I often use sliced onions, zucchini, snap peas, peppers and add in the turkey strips. I have thought about doing a full recipe for this dish but haven’t got around to it maybe because it’s so, so easy, right? And chock full of colour and vegetables. Half your plate has nothing on this meal!
- Which brings me to the last and by far my hubby’s favourite way to use up precooked turkey scallopinis. Golden Turkey Salad. The golden colour comes from my favourite spice – turmeric.
Tips to Make Golden Turkey Salad
- Cook the turmeric for a minute in the oil to add to the dressing. For centuries, turmeric has been used as a natural remedy in households around India. Traditional wisdom indicates that this warming spice needs to be cooked to activate its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting properties. It’s what my mom does and so of course it’s what I do.
- I use yoghurt in my dishes as much as possible because it adds a great tart flavour and of course it’s healthy, right?!
Salads are often popular during the summer but this salad is warming, comfort food with all the freshness of a crisp salad.
Golden Turkey Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped cooked turkey Use the previously cooked turkey scallopini
- 1/2 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped apples
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
For dressing
- 1/2 cup yoghurt
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp mustard dijon preferably but any kind will do
- A sprinkle of sugar
Instructions
- Heat a pan with the oil. Add the turmeric and let it sizzle through for a minute.
- Pour the spicy oil into the yoghurt and the rest of the ingredients for the dressing. Whip together.
- Toss the dressing with the turkey, vegetables and apples.
- Enjoy, on its own, as a starter, at lunch time or even as a fresh and light dinner.
