Turkey & Cranberry Salad: light fare for the day after Thanksgiving

Like most people, I have a fridge packed with leftovers from yesterday's feast. Since I'm very short on time this weekend, I'll be posting mini-blogs about what I'm doing with them. Hopefully, this will provide some inspiration for delicious and creative ways to use your own leftovers.

I was craving something light and healthy after yesterday's indulgences. I tossed some green leaf lettuce with a splash of basalmic vinegar and olive oil. I topped the lettuce with thin slices of persimmon, a bit of shredded Jack cheese, some bite-size turkey pieces, a bit of cranberry sauce, and sprinkled some pecans on top. If you don't have ripe persimmons, fresh pears would be a good substitute. With their subtle earthy sweetness, pecans were perfect for this particular salad, but toasted walnuts would be a good alternate topping. The dominant flavor balance is sweet and slightly tart, and it left me feeling refreshed.

Happy Holidays all!