Turkey Turnovers

How am I ever going to keep my weight off, or lose weight for that matter, with all the experimenting I'm doing? It's hard, but ideas keep popping into my head and I just have to try them. I was recently trying to figure out how to use up the rest of a Costco chicken I had bought. They're big, and when cooking for just one, there are lots of leftovers. Here's a recipe I made recently that I just loved. You can use turkey or chicken, and you can add or subtract many things from the filling to make it your own. Below is the basic recipe.

Turkey Turnovers

1 cup shredded or cubed cooked turkey or chicken
1/3 cup thinly sliced onions
2/3 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup flour
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Make a roux, by melting the butter, adding the flour and cooking for 2 minutes, then slowly add the milk to make a thick sauce. Adjust milk as need to make a thick sauce. Set aside

In a saute pan, cook onions and celery until translucent, then add parsley and salt and pepper. Add cooked turkey and mix, then add the mixture to the cooled white sauce. You can add many other things if you like: peas, mushrooms, chili flakes for some spice, and shredded cheddar cheese come to mind.

Take prepared puff pastry squares (available frozen in most markets), and place a spoonful in the center. Take some eggwash and brush the edges, then fold the puff pastry into a triangle and seal. Brush the top of the turnover with eggwash. Place on cookie sheet, use a knife to make several slits in the top of the turnover for heat to escape. Cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown.

These turnovers make a great lunch with a green salad. Very gourmet, but really, it only takes about 15 minutes to prepare the whole thing. I had some leftover cranberries which I ate with it. You could also thin out the cranberry sauce and serve it as a sauce over the turnover. Use your imagination. This will impress even a gourmet cook.