Serious Eats' Turkey Paitan Ramen

What to do with ample leftovers? Turkey broth right?! When the temptation to grab the carcass just because it's offered leaves you with waaaay too much turkey broth you have to be inventive to think of ways to use it up.

After some research I found Serious Eats' recipe for Turkey Paitan Ramen which sounded delicious! Crispy turkey with more Brussels - why not!

Yay or Nay: Yay

I simplified the recipe a little by boiling the carcass with kombu, ginger, garlic, spring onion, onion and dried chinese mushrooms to take the western flavours out of the roasted turkey. I took a portion of the broth and added tahini, miso and soy for the ramen base. Then I roasted the brussel sprouts, boiled the egg and chopped some spring onions. Next, I shredded the turkey and cooked it until it was crispy. Assemble it all under a bed of ramen and then pour over the broth. Optional, I added some sesame oil and chili oil to finish!

This was tasty and you definitely couldn't taste the turkey flavour in the broth - which is what I was worried about. Everything came together nicely and it didn't feel like we were eating leftovers - I think this might become a tradition!

Pure Delicious' Taco Salad

Working at a library has its pros, you can spot new books and grab 'em to check out! I always thought that you'd have all day to flick through books but I hardly have time at all! When I see a cookbook I'm all over it! 

Pure Delicious caught my eye as it was a cookbook that specialised in dairy/nut/allergy/gluten free meals. The book is by a blogger called Heather Christo whose family has various allergies so she has been cooking meals that suit their needs. As I am always looking for alternatives so I figured what harm could it do to browse at home? The only danger is wanting to cook most of the meals! 

Apparently, taco salad is just taco meat slopped on tortilla chips with cheese, lettuce and salsa. That didn't put me off as Heather's version was a healthy Mexican meal worth a try.

Yay or Nay: Yay

O.M.G. This is my new favourite meal to make. I mean the sauce, the sauce...It truly is the bomb, the mix of fresh crunchy veggies, salty chips, spicy meat with the zingy sweetness of the sauce to cut through it, is a mouthful of heaven! This version is available in the book but here are some other versions on her site.

Real Simple's Chicken/Turkey Meatballs and Garlic Bread

As much as I love Italian food I've never been a big fan of meatballs, I think it's the unknown quality of the meat hidden under a tomato sauce. My husband's mother makes great meatballs and it kind of made me want to try to make my own ones. I was struggling for ideas for healthy weeknight dinners and the Chicken Meatballs and Garlic Bread was in a Real Simple I was flicking through.

Yay or Nay: Yay

Like it says on the tin, real simple! Surprisingly tasty, filling and great for leftovers. I did substitute turkey for chicken mainly because I couldn't find any mince chicken! Any ideas as Wegmans and the local public market do not have any?? No I didn't make my own tomato sauce but the Rinaldi Marinara one was pretty good!

I know I should publish pictures of the finished product but it's hard when you're hungry after work!