Turkey

I’m not talking about bison here; I’m talking about the sauce that made Buffalo, New York, famous. I took two of my favorite football-watching foods and melded them into one. Buffalo wing, meet the burger! Hot sauce and tangy blue cheese have found a new home. For an appetizer, make bite-size sliders if you want. Another way to go would be to make this burger with ground turkey or . . . that’s right, ground chicken.

One of my favorite bistro meals consists of a thick and juicy steak crusted with coarsely ground black pepper–steak au poivre–served with a simple green salad tossed with a mustardy vinaigrette. The bistro burger takes the flavor highlights of that meal and packages them in burger form. The coarse black pepper makes a great crust for the burger –just as it does on steak au poivre!—and adds a nice touch of heat. Shredded endive in a mustard vinaigrette (of course) and nutty Gruyère cheese are natural accompaniments.

In a city full of Italian restaurants and specialty shops, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is where you’ll find New York City’s most authentic Southern Italian fare. With its generations-old mom-and-pop businesses, this area of town seems as though it is stuck in a time warp—and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Arthur Avenue is the place to go when you want the real deal, from great eggplant Parmesan to baked ziti to mouth-watering Italian sandwiches. This burger, with its crispy frico made from nutty Fontina cheese, and a garlic- and chile-infused ketchup, is my ode to that famous neighborhood.

Like chocolate, the chile peppers that give chili its name and flavor come from Mexico. By assembling the many ingredients below and allowing them to cook together over low heat, you can easily imagine earlier versions of this Mexican stew (despite a few modern concessions). The cocoa powder adds depth and earthiness to the spicy indigenous flavors. This is a big batch and serves 15 people. You can also freeze it.

Both the turkey supper and the vegetarian version are good over brown rice. Add a cup of soup or a fruit salad to round out the meal.

This bubbling stew incorporates the basics of a traditional Italian dish called ribollita, but it takes much less time to prepare. A savory way to use leftover ham, the stew is just right for warming up before the Friday-night football game.

You may want to prepare this meal quite often—not just for the holidays—when you see how easy it is.

Can’t decide whether you prefer spaghetti sauce or Alfredo sauce? With this double-sauced casserole, you get to enjoy both.

Try these citrus-flavored cutlets with sweet potatoes sprinkled with nutmeg. If you double the recipe except the pineapple slices, you’ll have enough turkey for Turkey Tortilla Soup (page 54), too.

Here’s the answer when you have to have a kid-pleasing entrée in next to no time. This recipe even gives you a bonus—planned-overs to use in Asian Chicken and Wild Rice Salad (page 87).

Use leftover turkey from the holidays for this festive soup, or for a grilled turkey version, use leftover turkey from the Grilled Turkey Cutlets with Pineapple—without the pineapple (page 162).

I always try to buy jarred cranberry sauce, as it generally lasts longer than canned and tends to contain more natural ingredients. If you can’t find jarred, it’s okay to buy canned because it freezes well. Simply use what you need and then portion out the rest to save in small resealable freezer bags for future use. You can save even more time on this recipe by buying precooked turkey breast strips, though you should be careful they haven’t been cooked in too much fat or have too much added sodium. If you can’t find raw turkey breast strips, ask your butcher to cut a turkey breast or turkey cutlet for you. He or she is likely to do it at no extra charge.

I love making turkey cutlets, especially when I’m in a hurry, because they generally require very little trimming and cook exceptionally quickly. Whether you pan “fry” them or grill them, as I have done here, they take only a couple of minutes per side. After basic preparation, I always like to add a simple sauce. I could have thrown together another salsa suggestion here, but wanted to be a bit more creative with this one. And I’ve gone to upscale sandwich shops and cafés and ordered turkey sandwiches spread with cranberries and sweet mustard or mayonnaise, so I thought that might be a great place to start. I was very pleased very quickly, and I think you will be too.

It can be a bit tricky to spread the cheese over the cucumber because the cucumber pieces are so moist. But this super-simple snack is more than worth the mini-challenge!

We’ve all heard of sloppy joes. Well, now there’s a new dish on the block. Instead of serving your favorite sloppy joes on a regular old hamburger bun, have some fun (and some crunch) with them by using Tostitos Baked! Scoops. If it’s easier, feel free to sub in any baked tortilla chips for the scoops. They obviously won’t look the same, but they’ll taste just as great. These joes can also be made with extra-lean ground turkey, but you’ll need to add extra sauce because turkey is drier than beef. Using turkey in this recipe will save you about 3 grams of fat, but keep in mind that the extra sauce will add 95 mg of sodium per tablespoon.

Some fresh salsas or pico de gallos contain a lot of moisture. If your salsa or pico de gallo seems watery, drain it in a strainer to prevent the burrito from becoming soggy. Though it will take a bit longer, you can use turkey filets and cut them into strips if your store doesn’t carry the strips. Or, better yet, ask your butcher to cut the filets into strips for you so you don’t spend any unnecessary time in the kitchen.

To brie or not to brie . . . that is the quandary for many. Well, now that I’ve found ways to stave off the cravings without overindulging, I’m definitely a happy camper. Though the flavor is subtle here, the brie is great paired with the cranberry sauce and arugula leaves. In minutes, you’ll feel like you’re eating at a gourmet sandwich shop, but without the gourmet sandwich consequences.

This sandwich is great as a snack. The recipe makes only a half-sandwich, but it’s a meaty half-sandwich (great protein-to-carb ratio). I often eat it with an orange or banana, and it’s the perfect amount of food. Did you know that 4 ounces of deli turkey (or other deli meat) often contain as much as 1,200 mg sodium? If you’re watching your sodium, oven-roast your own skinless turkey breast at home and slice it down very thinly for deli meat. This will not only save you money but also allow you to control the amount of salt in the meat. If you can’t roast your own turkey breast, be sure to look for lower-sodium varieties of deli turkey.