turkey salad

Minutes after putting down my fork at the Thanksgiving dinner table, I decided that I had had enough of turkey for the rest of the year. It’s anti-climactic, really. I get all worked up for the turkey, slave over it, fuss and ooh and aah, and then – then I eat a few pieces, gorge on vegetarian sides and pig-out on dessert. The turkey, beloved by so many, and myself included, doesn’t get as much affection from me as you’d expect. Just as quickly as I fall in love with it, my interest cools. Can we say flighty food mind?

As unenthusiastic as I was about picking at cold turkey remains, or reheating it, or folding it into a casserole (because I really need to eat more heavy food after my Thanksgiving gluttony, as I undo the top button of my jeans), I get really excited for this salad. For one, it tastes healthy, and if I can delude myself into thinking I’m actually undoing the damage done, I’m a happy camper.

Secondly, and no less important, is that it’s just plain tasty. The crunch of the celery and the onion, combined with the slight sweetness of the apple and refreshing cool of the dill, makes this salad worth making, even if the though of turkey is killing your appetite. Because it doesn’t even remind you of turkey leftovers – it is simply a delicious salad that you happen to make because you have some leftover turkey in the fridge. My friends Paul and Sharon declared it a success and even volunteered their Canon to immortalize the moment as we made this salad at their place and I left my trusty Nikon at home. I’m sorry that this picture is not all that great, but we didn’t have a macro lens or a schnazzy flash to work with and we really did try. But trust me, this salad is a keeper for your post-holiday recipe clipping and requires very little work on your end, something truly valuable in the post-Thanksgiving food-induced coma.