The Truth About Turkey

Spanishchef.net recommends these products

All along, turkey has been associated to once a year family feasts. You know, the Thanksgiving turkey. The Christmas turkey. Roast turkey stuffed with some yummy stuffing, eaten with gravy or cranberry sauce is a must for the end of the year celebrations.

The fact is, turkey is such a healthy meat, it should not be reserved ONLY for Christmas and Thanksgiving. You should have turkey as part of your daily diet. Especially the breast meat of the turkey, without the skin.

Why?

3 reasons.
1. Turkey meat has a very high protein content
2. Turkey meat itself has low fat content.
3. Turkey can be really delicious. My mom cooks a fantastic roast turkey.

Here are 2 of her roast turkey recipes. http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey.htm

Protein.

Ok, so we can get lots of protein from meat, fish and soya beans. Sure, beef packs plenty of protein that your body needs, but red meats are high in cholesterol.
For example, 1 oz of turkey contains between 15 mg and 24 mg cholesterol while 1 oz of beef contains 20 and 30mg of cholesterol. It all adds up to a large difference in artery clogging cholesterol between beef and turkey. That means if you have heart disease or high blood pressure, switching from beef to turkey can make a big difference.

As for protein, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council billed turkey as the perfect protein. It has more protein than chicken, or even a top loin beef steak.
That makes turkey the ideal food for growing children, athletes and anyone who wants lean muscle.

Fat.

Most of the fat in poultry is found in the skin. That means, by trimming off the skin in chicken or turkey, you remove most of the fat. Beef, pork and lamb on the other hand have the fat embedded in the meat itself. So just by switching to poultry alone, and removing the skin, you effectively remove most of the fat. In fact, 3 ounces of skinless, boneless turkey breast contains a mere 1g of fat and no saturated fat. That is a weight watcher’s dream. This is about as healthy as you get.
This makes turkey the ideal meat for anyone who wants to stay slim, yet eat to his or her heart’s content, without consuming much fat. Still even if you do switch to turkey, watch your portion size. Double the amount you eat and you will still gain weight.

The flip side is the lack of fat in turkey meat compromises the taste. After all, the yummiest foods contain fat. Fat flavours food. Then again, with the right seasoning, gravy and all, turkey can be delicious. Just try my mom’s recipes like her roast turkey with rice stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-rice-recipe.php or the roast turkey with bread crumb stuffing http://www.allkitchen.info/turkey-breadcrumb-recipe.php . It is time to switch to something healthy and yummy.. like turkey.

Three Light, Simple and Easy Meals from Turkey Leftovers

If you’re like me, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, every year, is a blur. There never seems to be enough time to prepare for the holidays. Our immune systems plummet and stress rises. During this time, I try to find shortcuts to make things less stressful, for myself. Turkey leftovers are a mandatory part of this strategy. Even if the family dinner is not at my home, I buy a turkey. During the holiday season, it is very economical and a lifesaver.

Here are three light, simple and easy ways to use your turkey leftovers:

1 Turkey Quesadillas. Spray a whole wheat flour tortilla with Butter Pam. Place in frying pan and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped turkey pieces and sliced green onion. Place another tortilla on top and spray with Butter Pam. Brown on both sides until cheese is melted. You can add some chopped olives or jalapeno peppers if you desire. Serve with salsa.

2 Spinach and Turkey Salad. Mix together – chopped turkey, bacon flavoured almonds, dried cranberries and fresh spinach. Serve with your favourite vinaigrette or honey mustard salad dressing.

3 Turkey Soup. I cook the turkey carcass the weekend after Thanksgiving. You can do that or use canned chicken broth, chopped turkey and a bag of your favourite frozen vegetables. Pour everything in a pan and heat through until vegetables are crisp and tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve with a good brown bread.
While I still love hot open faced turkey sandwiches and all of the leftovers from Thanksgiving, these fast and easy meals provide a break in more ways than one. We are constantly bombarded with food and goodies during this time of year. It’s good to intersperse light dinners with heavier meals. All of these dinners can be made in thirty minutes or less. When we arrive home, after working or shopping or usually both, a light meal which takes almost no effort is a welcome relief. Having a light meal, once or twice a week, also helps to keep the calories from skyrocketing. So, give yourself a break, during the busiest time of the year. Your mind and your body will thank you for it.

This site is hosted by (click on the graphic for more information) turkey