Turkey a la King

Turkey a la King
over Toasted Oatmeal Bread
(File Photo)

What's for dinner???  Oh, it's become a tradition!  Every year over the Thanksgiving Weekend I make Turkey a la King for dinner using the remaining pieces of roasted Turkey.  Forget making a pie crust & preparing a deep dish or a Turkey pot pie.  A lot of cooking has been going on & this is a quick, nutritious, colorful & yummy dinner.  A creamy sauce that's filled with tender chunks of roasted Turkey & cooked veggies served over toasted bread.  Easy is good & in this case, easy also tastes delicious!

And, an added plus is that I usually have enough roasted Turkey remaining to make a triple batch.  You know what that means!  After the a la King cools, the extra servings are packed into Ziploc Freezer containers & placed in the freezer. 

Oh, this dinner freezes very well.  I usually place a container in the fridge the night before serving again.  It will defrost & only need reheating.  When reheating, add a little more Milk.  The sauce will be smooth & creamy when stirred and served over toasted bread!  

The recipe below is for 1 batch.

Turkey a la King
      Serves 2 - 3 Adults

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Margarine/ Butter (I use unsalted.)
1/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup Chicken/ Turkey Broth
     (I use College Inn Light & Fat Free Chicken Broth.)
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Turkey chunks (cooked), cut up, more if desired
2 Cups cooked Carrots & Peas (or Mixed Vegetables)

*******
 Sliced Bread, Toasted- 1 or 2 slices/ person

Method:

1.  Melt Margarine/ Butter in large skillet/ large pot.
2.  Remove skillet from Medium heat and slowly stir in Flour.  
3.  Return to heat and slowly add in Chicken Broth & Milk while slowly stirring constantly.
4.  Continue stirring over heat until sauce is thick and bubbly. 
5.  Add cooked Turkey chunks.
6.  Add in cooked vegetables.
7.  Stir and heat mixture for 1 - 2 Minutes.
8.  Serve over toasted Bread.

What a great reminder of Thanksgiving whenever we enjoy portions that are just waiting in our freezer!  This has also become a comfort food on a cold night!  There's been a chill in the air today.  Winter will soon be here.    

Enjoy!
Yummy!

         

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup- with Couscous

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup
with Couscous

Our frigid weather + wind chills has reminded me that a bowl of steaming hearty homemade soup tastes so good on a cold evening!  This is especially true in the winter.  One very quick & easy homemade soup that tastes so yummy is Tomato Basil White Bean Soup!  Each spoonful contains small pieces of tomatoes & White Kidney Beans.  Then, there's the flavors & flakes of Basil & Parsley.  Ahhh!       

This is one of those quick dinners that tastes amazing.  The ingredients are always in my pantry.  They probably are in yours, too.  Everything is placed in my large pot!  Then, the soup simmers.  How easy can that be? 

If there is any "leftover" cooked white rice (from a previous dinner) in the fridge, I heat it to add to the soup bowls before serving.  Otherwise, I now add prepared Couscous to the soup bowls.  What a great addition!  Do you add Couscous to your soups?                 

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup with Couscous
4 Servings      

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 ounces) Fat Free & Lower Sodium Chicken Broth
     (I use College Inn.)
1 can (15 ounces) Tomato Sauce
1 can Tomatoes, drained  ***If using whole tomatoes, cut into eighths.
1 can (15 ounces) Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans)
1 Tablespoon Dehydrated Onion
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley 
2 teaspoons dried Basil
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
****
1 Tablespoon Couscous
about 1/4 Cup broth from Tomato Basil White Bean Soup

***I use whatever size can of Tomatoes I have in my pantry.

Method:

1.  Place all ingredients, except Cannellini Beans, in large pot or Dutch Oven.
2.  Drain Cannellini Beans & rinse in cold water, drain again.
3. Add rinsed Cannellini Beans to large pot, stir.
4.  Bring to a boil.
5.  Simmer for 30 minutes & stir occasionally.
6.  Prepare Couscous:  Place Couscous in a small bowl.
7. To Couscous add the 1/4 Cup soup broth & stir.
8. Let stand 5 Minutes, then stir again.
9. Before serving soup, place prepared Couscous in soup bowls.
10. Add the Tomato Basil White Bean Soup & stir.   
11. Enjoy with a slice of rye bread.

If the soup gets a little thick while simmering, just add 2 ounces of water to the pot & stir in.

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup is quick & easy to make!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

    

Turkey a la King

Turkey a la King
served over Toasted Oatmeal Bread
(File Photo)

The aroma of Turkey roasting on Thanksgiving Day is just the best!  With cranberry sauce chilling in the fridge & the garlic mashed potatoes & other side dishes on the move, dinner is on its way.  My fam has never had a problem having leftover slices/ pieces of the delicious moisty Turkey.  Opening the fridge door & grazing seems to be a custom of the weekend.  At least opening the door to see if anything has changed position on a shelf, certainly is a habit.  :)

Hot Turkey Sandwiches on Friday is set in stone, here.  On Saturday there usually are a few pieces remaining.  That's when I see Turkey a la King in our future.  Mixed vegetables along with chunks of Turkey combined in a creamy white sauce.  This is served over toasted Oatmeal Bread.  Oh yes, along with Cranberry Sauce.  Yum, yum, yum!

When preparing dinner why take the extra step of making or using commercial pie crusts for Turkey Pot Pies???  Toasted bread serves the role so well!  Prep Turkey a la King.  When it's ready, toast the bread.  Easy & no fuss all while tasting absolutely delicious!  Try it, you'll like it!

Turkey a la King
 Serves 2 - 3 Adults

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Margarine/ Butter (I use unsalted.)
1/3 Cup Flour
1 Cup Chicken/Turkey Broth
      (I use College Inn Light & Fat Free Chicken Broth.)
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Turkey chunks (cooked), cut up, more if desired
2 Cups cooked Carrots & Peas (or Mixed Vegetables)
*******
Sliced Bread, Toasted

Method:

1. Melt Margarine/ Butter in skillet.
2. Remove skillet from Medium heat and slowly stir in Flour.  
3. Return to heat and slowly add in Chicken Broth & Milk while slowly stirring constantly.
4. Continue stirring over heat until sauce is thick and bubbly. 
5. Add cooked Turkey chunks.
6. Add in cooked vegetables.
7. Stir and heat mixture for 1 - 2 Minutes.
8. Serve over toasted Bread.

If I have enough Turkey I make a double batch & freeze the extra portions.  It's an easy dinner to defrost/ reheat on a cold winter night.

***Chicken can be substituted for Turkey at other times during the year.

***A half portion is also so yummy when served over a baked potato!

Currently, it looks like winter outside!  The snowflakes are falling heavily on the day before Thanksgiving!  It'll be a different sight looking out my kitchen window as I bake the Thanksgiving pies!  Today I have 2 sous chefs!  :)  

Enjoy!
Yummy!

Wishing you, your family & friends a wonderful holiday!

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup

It's always fascinating to sample a new food - especially when visiting another area.  Sometimes, I totally enjoy the taste... other times I'd probably pass on it, if it was a choice again.  

A couple of weeks ago, when we were in Philadelphia, we enjoyed staying at the Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing, located near the historic district and also on the Delaware River!  The hotel's restaurant had a tasty menu.  We ordered a cup of soup to start with that evening.  It had a simple name.  Yet, it also sounded so yummy - White Bean and Tomato Soup.

A steaming cup of the tomato base soup was filled with Cannellini Beans (White Kidney Beans) and Basil.  It did not take long to devour it or for me to decide that after we returned home I would use my Dutch Oven to prepare a batch. It was quite easy to decide what ingredients to use in this yummy soup.  They are all staples in my kitchen! 

Rice is a great side dish with grilled fish, and the previous evening we enjoyed White Rice with Grilled Sockeye Salmon.  The day I prepared this soup there was a bit of prepared "leftover" Rice to add to this very yummy soup.  

Tomato Basil White Bean Soup
4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 can (14.5 ounces) Fat Free & Lower Sodium Chicken Broth
     (College Inn)
2 ounces Water
1 can (15 ounces) Tomato Sauce
1 can Tomatoes, drained - If using whole tomatoes, cut into eighths.
1 can (15 ounces) Cannelli Beans (White Kidney Beans)
1 Tablespoon Dehydrated Onion 
1 - 2 teaspoons dried Basil
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
****
1/2 -  3/4 cup Prepared Rice - optional

Method:

1. Place all ingredients, except Cannelli Beans & Rice, in large pot or Dutch Oven.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Drain Cannelli Beans & rinse in cold water, drain again.
5. Add to other ingredients in Dutch Oven.
6. Add previously cooked Rice & simmer 4- 5 minutes.
7. Enjoy!  

After dinner, cool the remaining soup.  Cover & refrigerate. 

***If the Prepared Rice has been added, a small amount of water will need to be added when reheating the soup.  The Rice absorbs the liquid.

On a chilly cold evening, this easy to make Tomato Basil White Bean Soup will be a "go to" recipe for me.  It's also so good with the "leftover" Rice added in.

Enjoy!
Yummy!