Friday, November 26, 2010

Baked Turkey Taquitos

I have a thing for turkey.  I love it.  I have turkeys in my freezer all year round.
Any given month I'll cook a turkey, have it for dinner, and freeze the leftover meat in 2C bags.
Works great in recipes that call for chicken, and way cheaper.
Like Turkey Pot Pie, which is so good it's practically food porn.

But I realize that not everyone shares my affection for the big bird, and I want to help you.

So you've had your big Thanksgiving dinner, and you have leftover turkey.
What to do?  Try these...

Baked Turkey Taquitos

 Warm your oven to 425F while you gather your ingredients.
For you metric folks, 220C ought to work.

I like to line a large baking sheet with foil to make clean-up easier,
and spray it with Pam. Or mist it, if you're a mister.  Ha ha.

You will need:

1/3 - 1/2 C cream cheese
1/4 C + salsa

Soften your cream cheese, blend in the salsa,
and then add the following:

1 T lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder - optional, since you'll be adding green onions
1/4 t garlic powder

Mix well, then add:

2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked turkey
1 C grated cheese - your choice (jack, cheddar, mozza, mix...)

You'll need to soften your tortillas to make them easier to roll without cracking.
I put mine in the microwave with a damp paper towel for about 30 seconds.
The original recipe, which I think I got from Cutzi, called for corn tortillas,
but we usually use flour.  you will need:

about 16 small or 10 large tortillas

Spread a few tablespoons of the mixture in the middle of each tortilla,
leaving a good half inch at each end.
This one is a bit over-full, maybe.


Roll them tightly and put them, seam side down, on your baking sheet,
not touching.
They need personal space to get that yummy, crunchiness we want.

Spray, or mist them lightly, and sprinkle them with
kosher salt.


 They need about 15 - 20 minutes to bake.
The ends should start to brown up,
and the tortillas get nice and crispy.


You could sprinkle more cheese on top while they're baking,
but they don't need it.
Dip them in salsa, guacamole, or sour cream...
or just eat them plain.
Serve them with rice and beans, and some salad or fruit, 
and you've got a full meal that doesn't taste like leftovers.

You're welcome.

8 comments:

Felicity said...

Sounds wonderful!!
Now I must just find a turkey....

Ruby said...

Julie, they look and sound great!
As we don't do Thanksgiving, turkey is less of a thing here though you can buy them of course. I quite like the meat but my family, who are chicken lovers, all find it a bit strong. I would like to see that Pie recipe one day :-)

Herding Grasshoppers said...

If you don't have turkey, just use chicken ;)

leah said...

Those look delicious!! I'll have to whip some up tomorrow (I just need salsa)!

The dB family said...

These sound DELICIOUS!! Wonder if I can use beans. Darn the being vegetarian this time of year!

Blessings!
Deborah

melanie said...

Thank you for this, Julie ~ Seems like I'm always hungry for salsa =)

leah said...

Making these tonight- can't wait! The perfect pre-hockey food!

Jena Webber said...

Awesome!!