Turkey Wild Rice Salad

Thanksgiving week is coming to a close. I’m not quite sure if I’m happy to see it go. It makes me a little sad to see all the tasty food and treats go. Speaking of which, I’d love to hear, what fun things did you do over the holiday?  Did anyone have a killer friendsgiving or a phenomenal recipe they want to share?! I’m not oppose to cocktail recipes either. Make my day and everyone else’s. Share the love and jot those ideas down in the comments below!

Let’s get back to it. While I love the whole thanksgiving experience, dining with family, getting together with old friends, and the good conversation, I’m also starting to get sick of turkey. All the turkey I tell you. I’ve been eating thanksgiving on repeat! The hubby and I have been stuffing turkey down our throat for about two to three weeks. It was fun at first but, as you can imagine, we are pretty pumped for some new foods. Unfortunately, I still have a bit of leftovers in the fridge.  I just can’t throw away perfectly good food.

Let me tell you, it takes a bit of time for two people to devour a whole turkey. Even for those small-ish 10lb turkeys. While I make a pretty killer turkey (find the recipe here), I’m over it. Let’s get in the kitchen and give these leftovers a makeover. Who’s with me?! Incorporating leftovers into a new dish with different flavors can make all the difference. How else am I going to convince the hubby to eat five more days of turkey?!

 

One of my favorite ways to transform turkey is with my Turkey Wild Rice Salad. It’s actually a pretty zesty salad with some super fresh flavors. You’ll find the flavors to be a lot different from the traditional thanksgiving fare. Turkey Wild Rice Salad has actually turned into my lunchtime favorite. I may sound a bit lazy right here but I don’t even have to make a trip to the microwave!  Cold salads for the win!

Prep for this salad is fairly easy as well. Who wants to slave in the kitchen after a week of cooking and prepping for thanksgiving? Not me! But there will be a bit of leg work with the wild rice, but after that I promise it will be easy. After that all you need to do is a bit a chopping and dicing, throw it all in a bowl, and mix.  Well it’s mostly like that anyway.

One last tip, I highly suggest making this a day ahead. Its extra good served nice and cold after a night of marinading in the dressing.  This way the flavors of the Turkey Wild Rice Salad have time to melt together. You’ll end up with an extra flavorful salad.

 

If you all make this Turkey Wild Rice Salad with your Thanksgiving leftovers, be sure to let me know by tagging a photo with #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I always love to see what you all cook up. Happy eating!

Print Recipe
Turkey Wild Rice Salad
Course Main Dish
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 2 cups wild rice, cooked
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups turkey, diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 3/4 cup green onions, diced
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
Course Main Dish
Servings
people
Ingredients
  • 2 cups wild rice, cooked
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups turkey, diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 3/4 cup green onions, diced
  • salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook dry wild rice per package instructions, to yield 2 cups, cooked.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, juice of one lime, oil, honey and ginger to create dressing.
  3. In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, turkey, cranberries, celery & green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with dressing mixture. Refrigerate until use, serve cold.
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About Stephanie Wagner, RDN, LDN

Stephanie is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and founder of Stephanie Lee Nutrition. Originally from NE Wisconsin, she started out as a licensed cosmetologist. She then went on to graduate with a B.S. in Human Biology, emphasis in Nutrition and Dietetics and completed 1200 hours of clinical experience through Priority Nutrition Care Distance Dietetic Internship. She uses her passion for nutrition and wellness as a tool to help women feel their best inside and out.