Leftover Turkey Jalapeno Panini

Tired of turkey leftovers but still have a lot in the fridge? Make these paninis for a flavour that is not at all like Christmas! The jalepeno peppers really spice things up nicely and the cheese takes away the dryness of the turkey leftovers. If you don't have a panini press (I don't), just use a grill pan and sit a cast iron fry pan on top of the sandwiches as your "panini grill". This recipe makes four servings.

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices bread (your choice: I like multigrain; my husband prefers the Italian ciabatta)
4 slices Monterey Jack or Mozarella cheese
Sliced jalapeno peppers (the amount of jalapeno you use depends on the amount of "heat" you enjoy:)
Leftover roast turkey, sliced

Dijon mustard

Olive oil for grill

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the grill pan to medium-high heat with about 2 tsps of olive oil.

For each sandwich: On one bread slice, layer on a slice of cheese, jalapeños & leftover turkey. Spread a thin layer of mustard on another slice of bread, and place it mustard-side down to close the sandwich.

Grill about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cut in half, serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Muffins

We had quite a few baked sweet potatoes left over from Christmas dinner, so I made these muffins and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup quick oats (ideal for baking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 level teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup low fat probiotic yogurt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin pan.

2) In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

3) In a separate medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (including mashed sweet potatoes).

4) Gradually add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until combined with each addition. If the mixture is overly dry, stir in a little more yogurt at this point.

5) Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batter to muffin pan.

6) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack and then remove from pan to a plate.

Spiced Almonds

This is a great little snack recipe that I am using at Christmas. It adds a salty snack to all of those sweet ones we usually eat around this time of year. I am having a fairly large group for Christmas dinner and they will need something to munch on until the turkey is done, so I'll put these out with some cookies and whatnot.

This recipe makes about 8 servings of 1/4 cup each.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole unsalted almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

• Directions

• Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a bowl.

  In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Stir the spices into the oil and cook, stirring until warm, about 30 seconds. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are warm and the spices are evenly distributed.
  
• Add the hot pepper sauce and stir to distribute. Remove the almonds from the pan and allow them to cool before serving.