Thanksgiving Leftovers Turkey Pho

It’s the week after Thanksgiving, and we find ourselves with a refrigerator bursting at the seams, as we often do. This year was unique because we spent the whole weekend fighting and slowly recovering from a fairly nasty head cold. We were in and out of fever, but more importantly congested and exhausted for almost a full week.

To try and combat feeling run down, Heather was really hankering for pho. This Vietnamese soup has a reputation for having healing powers (for illness as well as hangover), and is something I’ve never actually experienced at a restaurant. We decided to create our own version of the show Chopped, and make pho with the leftovers in the house and our pantry. We didn’t even go out to find noodles or a noodle replacement, and instead added extra bean sprouts. Feel free to add your favorite noodle of choice.

We made our turkey broth with the carcass of the turkey, 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar, a bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp of sea salt. We put the carcass in a stock pot and covered with water and boiled for 16 hours. If this is too much time, or you no longer have your bird, feel free to buy stock from the store—just be sure to read the label!

Easy Pesto Egg Bake

If you’re like us, you’ll have a full house this Thanksgiving for the holidays. This means you need more food for each meal of the day—breakfast, lunch, dinner (and snacks). Most days I don’t eat breakfast, so Heather makes something for herself. With at least two more people in the house, we love having options for bigger and easier breakfast meals.

This pesto egg bake is one of the easiest things we’ve ever put together, and it’s awesomely tasty. Regardless of whether you use a pre-made pesto, or make one of your own (we have a few!), you’ll be ready to go in no time.

Lamb Jalfrezi

Jalfrezi is an Indian dish that can range from mildly spicy to eye-watering. After not being able to tolerate spicy foods growing up, I trained myself to eat very spicy foods. That said, this recipe has nice heat without causing tears or needing a tissue. If lamb isn’t available, substituting some chuck roast would also work well.

We used our handy tagine for this recipe, but it will cook just as well in a crock pot. Enjoy with cauliflower rice, a cool cucumber salad, or on its own!

Bacon, Kale & Onion Sauté

When I was a kid, breakfast foods were for breakfast and everything else was for lunch or dinner. As I’ve grown up, I’ve slowly come to find that all foods taste good all the time. I love “brinner” (breakfast for dinner) and dinner foods for breakfast.

This is one dish that can be served any time of day, on its own or as a side dish. I love this recipe for its simplicity and its ability to use in a variety of situations. It’s so fast and easy to make—it’s perfect for a quick meal any time of day. I’ve eaten it alone for dinner and with eggs (scrambled, fried over hard, and even poached) for breakfast. You might also want to serve it as a side with a roast chicken or pork tenderloin or even steak. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Deli-Style Cucumber Salad

On more than one occasion, I’ve walked past the deli counter green with envy over the variety and quality of the salad offerings. There’s something magical about the thin slices of cucumber, the finely shredded vegetables, and the perfectly-positioned garnishes.

This particular cucumber salad came to be after seeing a deli-style cucumber salad for sale at Costco. It was a great idea, but had about as much sugar as a candy bar and preservatives. This has neither of those downsides, and has a crunch, spice, and flavor that is a winner. We know you’ll enjoy this salad.