Turkey (left-overs) Salad with Apples, Grapes, Walnuts & Blue Cheese

November 23, 2020

Target Healthy Eating

Source:

**Beautiful healthy ingredients, before dressing is added. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Beyond delicious! ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

This is one of my best recipes for left-over turkey, after Thanksgiving. However, it's so delicious, that if you wanted to make a meal out of it during the rest of the year, the most simple way, is to buy a whole rotisserie chicken and cut up the whole chicken to be used in place of left-over turkey. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

Every ingredient in my recipe is a must. The fresh apples and two kinds of grapes add sweetness and texture, whereas the lemon zest adds a sour but bright note. Slice the apples with a mandolin, for lovely thin slices trimmed in red. Be sure to leave the red skin on. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

Make a lot of this salad. The flavors are so yummy, people will snack on it if there's any left in the fridge. BTW, I grew up on Hellmann's mayonnaise, however, later I discovered Kraft. For me, Kraft mayonnaise has more flavor, so that's what I recommend for my turkey salad. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

Although the candied walnuts or candied pecans, may seem frivolous, they are only frivolous if you eat them plain. When chopped and added to my salad, you will see, they add a sweetness and crunch, that's different from the fresh fruit. Trader Joe sells candied walnuts, so does Amazon. If you can't find any, try making your own and Google for a recipe. Use a recipe that calls for brown sugar and not white. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

Of course, there will be no guests this Thanksgiving or in the following days. But in the past, when we did fill our table with guests during and after T-day, I would serve this turkey-apple salad as an appetizer a day or two after. Guests loved it so much, they requested that we eat it for the whole meal. I learned to make a large amount, to accommodate. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

**Hopefully, dear readers, you'll try my recipe. Family and friends will eat it morning, noon and night and ask you for your recipe. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

Ingredients

2 Cooked left-over turkey breasts, cut into bite-size cubes

4 fresh Garlic cloves, ground with 4 anchovy fillets = paste

2 longest celery stalks from heart of celery, mince celery to teeny tiny pieces

1 teaspoon curry powder

Zest of one lemon

Pinch black pepper (or to your taste)

2 Pinches chili flakes

2 scallions, chopped up to half the white part

2 Fuji apples sliced very thin, then cut in half, (leave red skin on) (slice with mandolin). Substitute with your favorite (or what's available) apples

1 endive, leaves separated, cut lengthwise, or cut your way.

1 cup Red seedless grapes cut in half

1 cup green seedless grapes, cut in half

1 cup (or more to your taste) chopped (candied) walnuts

2 cups Blue cheese dressing (see below)

Easily obtained ingredients. Candied walnuts or pecans can be found at Trader Joe's or Amazon. It's easy to make you own. Ask Google for a recipe and pick one that uses brown sugar, not white. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC

Easy Directions

Prepare all of the ingredients and put into a large salad serving bowl.
Next, prepare the dressing and put into a food processor. Pulse, until you get a well combined creamy dressing.
Pour the dressing over the contents of the salad bowl and toss until dressing is well combined with the salad ingredients.
Garnish with extra chopped candied nuts and/or well chopped chives
Serve with your favorite chilled white wine.

Enjoy!

If I serve this turkey & fruit salad as the entr?e for guests, after Thanksgiving dinner, I like to keep the amount of work and time, down to a minimum. We start dinner with chilled white wine in a cozy corner near our koi tank, and a family favorite, warm French baguettes with European butter. My sister brings the baguettes and we warm them up, if not already warm. We love this part of the meal so much, we could easily stop here and make warm French bread or baguettes and butter with wine, the whole meal. I often serve shrimp with cocktail sauce, as well. When we move to the dining table, with our wine glasses, waiting on each small plate is a simple appetizer like salmon terrine or pate with more bread and butter. I either buy or make a very easy salmon pate, (made in advance). Then the ever popular turkey & fruit salad (more bread and butter) and more wine. For dessert, on a separate table, I get out all left-over desserts, like pecan and pumpkin pie, ice cream, etc. and let guests help themselves to dessert and coffee.

**Chopping scallions. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Chopping celery. The pieces above are still way too big. They will be chopped down to one quarter or less, the size of what you see above. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Keep the beautiful red skins on and slice (paper-thin) the apples, using a mandolin. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Chop the left-over turkey into bite-size pieces. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Chop the candied walnuts (or candied pecans), save some for garnish, and put the rest into the salad bowl before adding the dressing. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

**Once all ingredients are in your serving salad bowl, add the dressing and toss. ©Joyce Hays, Target Health LLC**

Blue Cheese Dressing

1/4 cup Kraft mayonnaise

1/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup blue cheese

1 teaspoon ground curry

1 pinch black pepper

1 pinch chili flakes

4 garlic cloves

Garnish: minced chives

Directions

Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until you get a smooth creamy dressing. Pour over salad and toss. Sprinkle just a few minced chives on top of tossed salad, with a few chopped nuts.