The Meal That Keeps Giving

I am so, so, SO pleased with how my Monday-night dinner turned out!  I bought a turkey breast at Thanksgiving–because I was worried about having enough leftovers–that has just been sitting in my freezer.  Night after night, when I would open the freezer and stare at it with a “there’s nothing to eat” glint in my eye, it would look at me from its spot beneath the ice maker.  I would give it a nod, close the freezer door and wander over to the pantry.

I haven’t been following my meal plan exactly, as I have stretched leftovers a bit further than I’d anticipated, and I had an unexpected dinner with my brother and his wife last week.  Roast Chicken was “scheduled” for Friday night and by Monday I had decided to adapt the meal for that grand turkey breast that had been waiting so patiently for preparation.  (It needs mentioning that I did, in fact, pull it out of the freezer on Friday and put it in the fridge to thaw out. )

My usual method for “Roast Chicken” night is to turn on the oven, break out the roasting pan, dress, roast, baste, roast, baste, roast, baste for approximately an hour.  I’ll admit that I was feeling lazy, but I also wanted to try something a bit different since I was dealing with a different bird (and only a portion of a bird, at that).  Soooo…I had my dear husband pull the slow cooker down and got to work!

Perfect, Slow-Cooked Turkey Breast

• 1 thawed turkey breast, rinsed and patted dry, pop-up timer removed
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2″ pieces
• 2 celery stalks, rinsed and cut into 1-2″ pieces
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic powder

I drizzled the EVOO (ugh, apparently Rachael Ray prevails!) on the bottom of the Crock and made a bed for the turkey out of the cut-up veggies.  In order to have a wonderfully seasoned turkey, I separated the skin from the meat and rubbed the salt, pepper and garlic powder directly on the breast as well as on top of the skin.  I put the bird on his veggie bed, set the Crock to HIGH and put the lid on.  After about 45 minutes to an hour I added approximately 16 ounces of water (filling the Crock Pot about halfway) and left it to do its thing.

With about an hour left of cooking time, I started my sides (glazed carrots, whipped potatoes and stuffing).  Once I had those all going I transferred the turkey breast to a sheet pan (lined in foil) and popped the birdy under the broiler for about fifteen minutes to crisp up the skin and give it a lovely brown color.  While the turkey browned (I kept a close eye on this, by the way) I made a PERFECT gravy out of the liquid left over in the Crock Pot!  I removed the vegetables and what fat/miscellaneous turkey bits I could.  Then I whisked in flour to thicken.  Easy peasy!  I didn’t even have to add any more salt or pepper.  It was a beautiful color and tasted divine!  My son ate ALL of his food, and it’s normally a bit of a battle to get him to finish his dinner.

Yesterday my husband had leftovers for lunch and I put the turkey back to work.

I boiled the daylights out of the leftover breast along with more of the same vegetables, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and poultry seasoning.  I left the pot uncovered so that it would reduce and really concentrate the flavors.  After about an hour I removed the turkey and pulled the meat from the bones.  It was SO much easier than picking the meat off of a chicken!  I pulled off enough for dinner and put the rest in the refrigerator.

Dinner last night was soooo easy and delicious!  I put a can of rinsed black beans and a drained can of sweet corn in a large skillet and added the shredded turkey.  I seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin.  Heat through, over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  I used the mixture as a filling for Turkey and Black Bean Wraps!  I decided to try out the Spinach Herb tortillas that have been staring at me (in the same “I’m waiting for you” way the turkey did), and they were quite tasty–and didn’t actually *taste* like spinach at all.  I served my son his wrap plain, but added some chunky salsa to mine.  I totally spaced out cheese, but will be sure to add it for my lunch today!  The brilliant thing about these wraps is that you can totally customize them to your taste!  Add sour cream, guacomole, whatever turns your key!

Tonight I will be adding the remaining shredded turkey back to the stock with the same veggies and some egg noodles for Turkey Noodle Soup!  Perfect for this cold week in Utah!  (Excuse me, Spring, but WHERE ARE YOU?)

So there you have it!  By tossing a turkey breast into a slow-cooker, I have meals lined up (lunch and dinner) for three-plus days!  Each meal is distinct in its style and flavor, so it doesn’t feel like the Same Old Leftovers.  I may even reserve a bit of the turkey (since there is still so much left over) for some shredded turkey sandwiches!

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