We just returned from a magical few days at Disneyland (where we happened to eat some really delicious food! I will be posting about all the allergy-free dining options in the happiest place on earth shortly) and I haven’t been grocery shopping yet. You know what that means, don’t you? When we are going out of town, I don’t buy groceries for the week because, obviously, we won’t be home to enjoy them, and I don’t want them sitting around waiting for me in the fridge in case I miss my flight back – it could happen. So for a few days before any vacationing happens for our family, we work off of the pantry items… and then for a few days after our return. Or maybe for a week.

This is when a well-stocked pantry and freezer come in very handy… I happened to still have my turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving in the freezer, a package of unopened corn tortillas in the fridge, some boxed soups and broths, and various cans of beans, so this week’s dinners were quick fixes, super tasty, and didn’t require a grocery run. The first experiment was an enchilada-style casserole, and the second was my slow cooker version of turkey pozole.

A side note: please pardon the lack of image quality!… my camera is being shipped to me at this very moment, so the trusty iphone has provided this post’s illustrations.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

My boys were convinced there was cheese and cream in this dish. They were even telling daddy he shouldn’t eat it, because it’d be bad for him. Boy did I fool them! I like letting them think they’re getting away with something daring while they enjoy a healthy and satisfying meal! All plates were thoroughly licked clean.

1. Prepare a 13×9″ baking dish with a thin layer of olive oil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a blender, puree the following until smooth: 1/2 cup butternut squash soup (Pacific Foods boxed soup), the cream only portion of (1) 15 oz. can of coconut milk, 5 oz canned white beans, 3 tsp cumin, 2 tsp celery salt, 4 cloves of pressed garlic.

3. Place 6 corn tortillas on bottom of baking dish. Top tortillas with 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (I used a 15 oz. can that had green chiles added to them for a little extra flavor). Layer frozen leftover turkey pieces on top of the tomatoes (I diced the turkey before freezing). Drizzle 1/3 of the “cream” mixture over the turkey and tomatoes.

4. Add another layer of tortillas, then tomatoes, turkey, the rest of the can of whole white beans that didn’t get used up in the cream puree, 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels, and another drizzle of 1/3 of the cream mixture.

5. With the final 2 tortillas, slice them into 1/2″ strips and layer them on top. Drizzle the remaining cream mixture on top of the tortilla strips. Sprinkle the whole pan with a little kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

6. Cover with foil and baked until bubbly – about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake another 5 – 10 minutes, until slightly browned and the edges are just crispy. Serve with extra taco sauce or salsa for the adults, since this casserole is kid-friendly and not at all spicy. A mixed green salad and a fruit salad round out an easy family weeknight meal.

Turkey Pozole

The slow cooker makes this quite possibly the easiest meal I’ve ever enjoyed. Perfect for this icy almost-winter day!

1. Set your slow cooker on the lowest time/heat setting and let this simmer all day – just be sure to add extra broth as it cooks down. (I started mine at 9AM and ate my bowl of pozole – okay, my three bowls of pozole – at 7PM.)

2. You will need (1) 30 oz can of hominy, (1) 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, 2 Cups of diced turkey leftovers, 1 Tbsp of cumin, 1 Tbsp of dried mexican oregano, 1/2 a yellow onion – diced, 5 cloves of garlic – pressed, (1) box of chicken broth, kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.

3. Combine everything in the slow cooker, except for the chicken broth, salt and pepper. Stir it all up. Put the lid on it for an hour. Then add about a cup of chicken broth and give it another stir. Cover it up again and check back in about an hour to add a pinch or two of salt & pepper, and then add broth until the mixture is completely covered in liquid. Put the lid back on and forget about it until you’re ready for dinner. When it’s time to eat, if the mixture is a bit thick for your liking, simply thin it out to your taste with the remaining broth.