Flavor of the Week {Southwest Lettuce Wraps}

One of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is all the leftover turkey.  It all goes into meals for my post Thanksgiving week menu.  Turkey pot pies and turkey chili always make the list and this year I had enough leftovers to add southwest turkey lettuce wraps, my favorite "chicken" salsa made with turkey which I also turned into enchiladas, and Thai curry soup.  Yes, I intentionally purchased a bird that was significantly larger than what we needed for Thanksgiving alone just for the leftovers.

Over the next couple weeks I'm going to share some of these awesome recipes with you.

First up, the SW lettuce wraps.  Most of us eat the full, traditional Thanksgiving meal more than once during the week of Thanksgiving.  After all that delicious but very heavy food, this is the perfect light lunch to counteract that.  This is also very quick to prepare which is a nice break after spending days in the kitchen preparing Thanksgiving.

Southwest Lettuce Wraps {adapted from Skinny Tastes}

Ingredients:

 

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 red bell peppers diced
• 3 scallions thinly slicked
• 1 cup leftover turkey breast, diced small
• 1/2 can whole cornel corn
• 1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp diced jarred jalapeno peppers
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 8 large lettuce leaves
• avocado cream sauce {recipe below} 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red bell pepper and scallions to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes until tender. Add the diced turkey, corn, black beans, jalapeno peppers, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper to the pan. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes then spoon onto large lettuce leaves and top with cheese and avocado cream sauce.

 

Avocado Cream Sauce:

Ingredients

 

• 1/3 cup low-fat milk
• 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed (leave them in if you want it spicy
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped scallion
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

 

Blend all ingredients in a blender and adjust seasonings to your liking.


PS. If you're wondering what to do with the other half of the bell pepper, beans and corn, make a half portion of my chicken salsa!  You can even use some more of the Thanksgiving turkey in place of the chicken!