Low-Carb Lesson #37: Low Carb Turkey In The Slaw, Deviled Eggs and Cantaloupe & Honeydew

Low Carb Cooking 101: Lesson #37: Low Carb Turkey In The Slaw

My husband is a high school vice principal, which involves attending a lot of evening extracurricular activities. (Tonight he’s at a basketball game.) My son is a 17-year-old high school senior, who works at the Cincinnati Museum Center, is the cochairman of the educational committee of the Cincinnati Herpetological Society, is training for cage fighting at a gym, is currently involved in a school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and is joined at the hip to his lovely girlfriend. My daughter is soon to be 12, and is in middle school.

What do you do when your family is scurrying around like crazed lemmings? It is very hard to plan a dinner around the schedules of these busy, busy people!

This weekend I opted for Turkey In The Slaw, a Bauer Family favorite main dish salad. There’s now several meals ready for anybody who wants one whenever they want one, and my part of the meal preparation is done. (That’s the best part!)

Turkey In The Slaw is not only good for a make-ahead meal, but it’s great to pack in lunches. I serve it more often during the summer when the warm weather makes heavier, hot meals a chore not only to prepare but to eat, but I generally serve it about once a month during the winter, too.

Here’s tonight’s menu:

• Turkey In The Slaw
• Deviled Eggs
• Cantaloupe And Honeydew Chunks With Blueberries

Here’s the shopping list for the meal:

(You may very well already have some of these things on hand.)

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds deli turkey, thickly sliced or 1 1/2 to two pounds home-roasted turkey
• 1 bag prepared cole slaw (***See note below.)
• 1 bag prepared broccoli slaw (***See note below.)
• 1 bunch green onions (optional)
• 1 green bell pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cantaloupe
• 1/2 honeydew
• Almond Sensations Ranch Style (or Almond Sensations flavor of your choice)
• 1 bag frozen blueberries or 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 dozen eggs
• mayonnaise
• pickle relish (for deviled eggs – optional)
• Dijon mustard (for deviled eggs – optional)
• assorted salad dressings of your choice
• salt
• pepper
• poultry seasoning
• dry mustard
• 2 packets Splenda (or other artificial sweetener)
• paprika (garnish for deviled eggs – optional)

***Note: You can use one bag each of prepared cole slaw vegetables and broccoli slaw vegetables, or, if you prefer, you can use all cole slaw vegetables or all broccoli slaw vegetables.

Here’s the game plan:

Hard-boil the eggs for the deviled eggs at least a day ahead of time. Shell the eggs immediately, and put them in a Zip Lock bag in the refrigerator to chill completely. After the eggs are chilled, you can go one of two ways:

You can complete making the deviled eggs according to the recipe directions, cover the finished eggs with plastic wrap, and store them in the refrigerator, or you can complete making the deviled eggs according to the recipe directions, BUT stop at the point where you have finished the yolk filling. Return the whites to the Zip Lock bag and place the yolk mixture in a small bowl and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Store the two components of the deviled eggs in the refrigerator and simply fill the eggs immediately before serving them.

The Turkey In The Slaw and the Cantaloupe And Honeydew Chunks With Blueberries can be made ahead of time, too. Simply follow the recipe directions and place the finished dishes in the refrigerator in covered containers until you want to serve the meal or a roving family member needs to be fed.

And, finally, here’s the recipes:

Turkey In The Slaw

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds deli turkey, thickly sliced then julienned or 1 1/2 to two pounds home-roasted turkey, julienned
  
• 1 bag prepared cole slaw vegetables
  
• 1 bag prepared broccoli slaw vegetables
  
• 1/2 cup green onions, diced (optional)
  
• 1/2 green bell pepper (optional)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
  
• 1 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  
• 2 packets Splenda
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (optional – to taste)
  
• salt (to taste)
  
• pepper (to taste)
  
• 1/2 cup slivered Almond Sensations Ranch Flavor (or flavor of your choice)
  

Combine the cole slaw vegetables and the broccoli slaw vegetables in a large bowl. Add the diced green onions and green bell pepper. Toss the vegetables to distribute them evenly. Set aside.

Julienne the turkey into matchstick slivers and add it to the vegetables. Toss again to distribute the turkey evenly throughout the vegetables. Set aside.

To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, poultry seasoning, Splenda, garlic powder, and dry mustard (if desired) in a small bowl. Whisk together to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the dressing over the turkey and vegetables, toss to coat everything evenly with the dressing.

Cover tightly and refrigerator for at least an hour to let the flavors meld before serving.

When serving, garnish with the Almond Sensations for added crunch.

***Please note: We like Turkey In The Slaw rather “dry,” but if you like a “wetter” cole slaw, you can double the ingredients for the dressing.

Low-Carb Deviled Eggs

Cantaloupe And Honeydew Chunks With Blueberries