Low Cal leftover turkey salad

[sjoes006]

I love chicken (or turkey) salad but always have to avoid it at places like WholeFoods and diners because it is usually soaked in mayonnaise.

I use Greek yogurt in a lot of dishes as a substitute to add moisture and avoid the calorie load of cream, ranch mayo and similar fatty items with a high calorie count. The best part is you aren't sacrificing taste for calories. I have plenty of friends that hate Greek yogurt but don't notice I've used it until I tell them after they are done eating.

Here's how I make turkey/ chicken salad:

2 pounds of poultry diced or shredded.

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt

1 ripe avocado

chopped celery

chopped red onion

1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

2 grated garlic cloves

onion powder

a pinch of cayenne

start mixing yogurt and mashed avocado in a bowl then add the lime, onion powder, cayenne and grated garlic. Next add the chopped veggies. The last thing I add in is the chicken then salt and pepper. I let the mix sit in the fridge for a couple of hours then taste it and make any final adjustments as needed to taste.

I eat this stuffed in celery as a snack or as Pita for lunch. How much onion you want to use is up to you I usually use half and send the onion, celery and meat through a processor. This can also be made using Tuna.

[detlef]

Very impressive. I think it's the lime that hides the yogurt-ey-ness. :) Great ideas.

Very hard to find mayo that doesn't contain artificial preservatives. Yogurt would be an excellent binder for a chicken, tuna or seafood salad that will be served to a toddler, where most parents are especially keen to keep it all natural.

Also love the avocado idea. I'd hit it with some celery seeds as well. And for me, hard boiled eggs are a must in any cold meat salad.

Cool take.

[sjoes006]

Yeah the acidity washes out some of the yogurt flavor. The only thing I will warn is use about half as much lime as you think you need upon first tasting it as the flavor will build as it sits in the fridge. Yeah I like egg in it too but trying to keep the calories down. I also add slices apricots sometimes or walnuts. Yum

[detlef]

Good tip. I overdo the zing sometimes.

[LittleSally]

Love it! I use sour cream or some kind of a rich yogurt like you to do these kids of dishes. =)

[detlef]

Sour cream is a great idea. That's Scandinavian style, the way they do a lot of these salads.

[LittleSally]

@detlef Oh, cool. =)