Whew! You made it through Thanksgiving! Do you have more leftover turkey than you know what to do with? Why not consider making a healthy stew? With locally sourced ingredients like carrots, celery, turnips, rutabaga, and potatoes, you’ll have a powerful nutrition-packed meal that will satisfy your body’s needs and get rid of those leftovers.

Let's take a closer look at these delicious ingredients!

Nutritionists suggest that eating turkey is beneficial to overall health. Turkey is full of nutrients that can help strengthen the immune system and boost metabolism! Eating turkey can also regulate emotions and combat feelings of stress by raising serotonin levels. Turkey meat has very little fat content, so nutritionists recommend it for people that are trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy and functioning heart. Turkey is considered a full meal because it is so nutritious!

Celery is low in calories and is high in fiber and vitamins. It is also thought to benefit heart and digestive health, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, decrease the risk of cancer, and lessen the impact of age-related vision loss.

Carrots are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making them a highly nutritious part of any meal. Studies suggest that carrots may lower the risk of prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and leukemia. Additionally, carrots are an effective healthy food for lowering blood sugar and blood pressure, and can give a healthy boost to the immune system.

Turnips are low in calories, rich in nutrients, and are thought to lower the risk of intestinal problems because of their high fiber content. Turnips can also lower blood pressure. Lastly, certain studies have suggested that turnips may decrease the risk of cancer.

Rutabagas can improve digestive health due to their high levels of fiber. They are also high in vitamin C, antioxidants, potassium, and zinc. These nutrients can help decrease the risk of cancer, lower blood pressure, and increase metabolism. Rutabagas are also good for individuals with diabetes due to their low levels of simple sugars.

Potatoes contain potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, fiber, and iron, which are important for proper bone formation and can decrease the risk of bone disease like osteoporosis. The nutrients found in potatoes can also work to naturally decrease blood pressure. Fiber can decrease the risk of heart disease by lowering total cholesterol levels in the blood and encouraging the maintenance of a healthy digestive tract. The high levels of vitamin C found in potatoes also help improve the immune system. In addition to this, the folate levels found in potatoes may lower the risk of cell mutations that lead to cancer.

When mixed together into a stew, these healthy foods create a wholesome and nutritious meal. Make sure to check out The Local Food Market located on Main Street in Cortland for their seasonal supplies. Buying locally grown foods improves our environment and economy. Local foods contain fewer harmful chemicals when compared to foods grown elsewhere, and require less fossil fuel to transport. Buying local foods doesn’t just mean fresher and tastier dishes. It also supports farmers and their families within our community! Buying local foods works to stimulate the economy by keeping money circulating within the community, which is beneficial to everyone!

Click the link below for the recipe to this awesome meal! A few little tweaks to incorporate your leftover turkey instead of cooking fresh legs and you'll be good to go!

Turkey Stew with Root Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds turkey thighs (preferred) or legs (skin on, bone in)
1 medium-large yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
1 quart (4 cups) chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock
2 medium carrots, peeled, 1/4 inch slices (about 1 1 /4 cups)
1-2 medium turnips, peeled, 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium rutabaga, peeled, halved, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence*
Freshly ground black pepper

*Herbes de Provence is a delightful French blend of herbs - Winter savory, thyme, basil, tarragon, and lavender flowers. If you don't have Herbes de Provence, you can substitute with an Italian herb mix.

Instructions:

1 Brown the turkey thighs: Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a Dutch oven on the stove top. Wash and pat dry turkey pieces. Working in batches if necessary, brown the turkey thighs, first skin side down, 2-3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle the thighs with a little salt as you brown them.

2 Cook the onions and celery: Once the thighs have browned, remove them from the pan and set them in a bowl. Add the onions and celery to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes or so, until the onions are translucent and starting to brown at the edges.

3 Add turkey thighs, salt, half of the stock: Return the turkey thighs to the pot. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and half of the stock. Bring to a simmer, remove from the stove top and put in the oven, covered, for an hour and fifteen minutes.

4 Add rest of vegetables and remaining stock: After an hour and fifteen minutes, remove from oven and add the rest of the vegetables—carrots, turnips, rutabaga, and potatoes, the herbs, and the rest of the stock.

Return to the oven, covered, and cook until tender, another 45 minutes or more.

5 Strip meat from turkey thighs, return to stew: Remove the turkey thighs from the stew and place in a bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat off the bones. Discard the bones and skin. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces (1 1/2-inches or so chunks) and return to the pot.

Sprinkle with black pepper and add more salt to taste.

#MondayMeals: Stew-pendous Solution for Thanksgiving Leftovers

INGREDIENTS