Healthy Recipe: Turkey Salad with Pecans & Cranberries

Turkey Salad with Pecans & Cranberries

Recipe by Ivy Manning | Photo by Erin Kunkel

This healthy grain salad is a great way to clean up your diet and clear out your fridge after the indulgences of the Thanksgiving holiday. Toss the white meat with grains, greens, a small handful of crunchy nuts, and some sweet dried fruit. You can try the same trick with leftover chicken breast or pork loin, instead of turkey.

Ingredients

½ cup (3½ oz/105 g) whole-grain barley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) dried cranberries
¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 cups (2 oz/60 g) thinly sliced lacinato kale leaves, stems removed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1½ cups (9 oz/280 g) diced, cooked turkey breast
½ cup (2 oz/60 g) chopped pecans, toasted
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine the barley and ½ teaspoon salt with 2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml) water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and let cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine the dried cranberries and orange juice and zest and soak until the cranberries are plump, about 10 minutes.

In a large serving bowl, add the kale, olive oil, vinegar, and few pinches of salt. Gently massage the mixture into the kale leaves. Let rest for 10 minutes, to let the kale leaves continue to soften. Add the cooled barley, plumped cranberries with the orange juice and zest, turkey, pecans, celery, and green onions. Season with pepper and toss to combine.

Place the salad on plates and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories 383
Protein 18 g
Carbs 34 g
Fiber 6 g
Sugar 7 g
Total fat 21 g
Saturated fat 2 g
Sodium 376 mg