Viva la Turkey! (and how Terrence became Tomas)

It seems that a Thanksgiving can't go by without a new tradition being born in our family.  This year it so happened that we've begun naming our turkeys, since the intimacy of me shoving my hand deep in its privates called for the courtesy of being on a first name basis.

As I cleaned, and dressed, and buttered the happy turkey (a.k.a. organic), and my oldest son looked on with horror as I reached into the dark backside and ripped out the organs (okay, it wasn't really that violent), names starting with "T" kept popping into my mind.  Since my son and I agreed that naming it "Tom" would be childish and stupid (as if just naming our turkey was not), we finally settled on "Terrence" before popping him into the oven (the turkey, not my son).

Terrence turned out to be the most delicious and moist bird we've ever eaten on Thanksgiving, and we included him in our "What we are thankful for" mantra at the beginning of the meal.

And as it turned out, Terrence was a gift that kept on giving...in the form of leftovers.  But I didn't want to go the normal route of turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey pie, so I checked in the fridge to see if I had any cilantro and tortillas, and within minutes...Terrence became Tomas.

Viva la Turkey...in the form of enchiladas!

And true to form, my spontaneous meal was not only delicious but healthy as well...so easy too.  Here's how:

In a large bowl, toss in around 2 cups of shredded turkey, 1/2 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of black beans, 1/2 cup of salsa, 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of low fat shredded cheddar cheese.

Heat the oven to 375 and lightly coat a large baking dish with cooking spray.  Fill 7 to 8 tortillas with a little of the mixture and place in dish (I find it helps to use a toothpick to keep them from unrolling).  Then in the same bowl (less to wash), stir together remaining can of tomatoes and another 1/2 cup of salsa before spooning over tortillas.  Top the dish with as much or as little cheddar cheese as you like, cover with foil, and pop in the oven for about half an hour.

Hay Dios Mio (OMG for Gringos) these enchiladas were delicioso!  And can I just say again how also nutritious this dish is?  What a combo!

So I'd like to extend a warm "Gracias!" to Terrence/Tomas for bringing such delightful meals into our lives this Thanksgiving holiday.  Food & Family...really, what else matters?

Wishing you the best of leftovers, no matter the season!

Suzanna Quintana, Holistic Health Coach & Certified Foodie