Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Turkey BLT’s with Fried Green Tomatoes

Posted by Tina / 3 comments » / *Recipes, Chicken/Poultry, Main Courses, Sandwiches

The holiday countdowns are in full swing here at the Wiley Household…

Thanksgiving = 8 days

Christmas/Peyton’s Due Date = 35 days (HOLY. SMOKES.)

Due to the FASTLY approaching due date, I have had Christmas set up in my house for a week already (yes, I am THAT girl)… minus the tree, because no-one is selling live Christmas trees around here yet. And since we are confessing these things, I am also blasting Christmas tunes throughout the house. And you know what? It’s fan.TASTIC. Hubs calls me “Christmas Crazy”. But here’s the thing, Christmas is in a mere 35 days. All that decorating and hastle? You better believe I’m gonna have some time to enjoy it!

Not that I’m trying to skip over Thanksgiving because I happen to LOVE Thanksgiving. However, my fall/Thanksgiving decor has been up since September so I’m just trying to share the decor love with Christmas. Don’t judge… this all makes TONS of sense in my pregnant head. 😉

Anyhow, what in the heck does all of this have to do with this Turkey BLT with Fried Green Tomatoes? Well, this my friends, is an idea of what to make with some of that left over Turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner next week! It may not be the prettiest of recipes to photograph, but oh man does it ever taste wonderful! The combination of the leftover juicy turkey, salty bacon, cold crisp lettuce, tangy fried green tomatoes, and creamy spicy cajun Ranch is TO. DIE. FOR.

I’m pretty sure green tomatoes are out of season right now up North, but for some reason we still have them EVERYWHERE down here. Is this just a Florida thing? If so, no worries, just find any under-ripe tomatoes to use (they don’t necessarily have to be green – you can fry up just about any super firm tomato when in a pinch).

Regardless, this is something a little different than your normal “Turkey Leftover” fare. Give it a try… it’s FANTABULOUS.

Oh, and FYI I’m working on a new Turkey Day Recipe Round up for ya’ll (followed by some additional ideas of how to use up some of those Turkey leftovers)!

Catch ya later Gators!

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Turkey BLT's with Fried Green Tomatoes

Yield: 4 sandwiches

A different idea to use up some of that leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

For the Cajun Ranch:
3/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons Ranch Dressing Mix
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
hot sauce to taste (optional)

For the Fried Green Tomatoes:
3 small firm green tomatoes
2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1 egg
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 cup Canola oil

For the Sandwiches:
1-2 baguettes of crusty white bread (French or Italian)
8 thick slices bacon, cooked crisp
8 slices fresh carved turkey breast
Iceberg lettuce, shredded

Directions:

For the Cajun Ranch:
Whisk all ingredients together until combined (adding additional milk if consistency is too thick). Refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Fried Green Tomatoes:
Rinse and dry tomatoes thoroughly. Cut tomatoes into 1/2 inch thick rounds (about 3 slices per tomato, discarding the ends). Season both sides of the tomato rounds with a sprinkle of salt and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Set up assembly line of 3 shallow rimmed dishes. In the first dish, mix the flour and Cajun seasoning. In the second dish, whisk the buttermilk and egg. In the third and final dish, mix the Panko bread crumbs and cornmeal.

Heat the Canola oil in a skillet (or fill a deep fryer with additional oil if using) over medium heat (keep it around 350º-375ºF). Dredge tomato rounds in the flour mixture, coating both sides and shaking off the excess. Next dip in the buttermilk-egg mixture and then the cornmeal-Panko mixture.

In the skillet (or deep fryer), fry half of the prepared tomato slices at a time (don't over crowd the pan). It should take 3-5 minutes each (or until golden brown). Drain tomatoes on a paper towel lined platter.

For the Sandwiches:
Cut the baguettes into four 8" inch long pieces and halve lengthwise. Spread a liberal amount of cajun ranch on both sides of the bread. Add shredded lettuce on bottom halves of bread and top with 2 fried green tomatoes each followed by turkey and 2 slices of crispy bacon. Place top half of bread back on top and serve!

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