Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into tasty yet healthful dishes

Leftover turkey is one of the rewards for cooking Thanksgiving dinner. It naturally lends itself to great late-fall meals — and many nutritionists consider turkey among the most healthful meats we eat.

It has plenty of tasty protein but, when eaten without skin, the meat is low in fat. Even with skin, 3 ounces of roasted breast meat has only 130 calories, 19 percent of them from fat. Dark meat is higher in fat than light meat, but is still relatively lean if eaten without skin, according to "Wellness Foods A to Z" from the University of California-Berkeley (Rebus, 2002, $39.95).

"The dietary sins at the holiday table aren't in the turkey. They're in the stuffing, the giblet gravy and the butter-laced mashed potatoes," says Kate Slate, editor of "The Wellness Kitchen" cookbook, also from the University of California-Berkeley (Rebus, 2003, $34.95).

Among its 140 recipes for healthful eating, the cookbook has suggestions for tasty low-fat dishes using Thanksgiving leftovers, including roast turkey salad with cranberry vinaigrette, hearty turkey stew, and herb-roasted sweet potato skins.

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Using frozen juice in its concentrated form makes a delicious low-fat vinaigrette for the following turkey and sweet-potato salad. The dressing also supplies an impressive amount of vitamin C. You may use leftover potatoes; if you do, omit the first preparation step.

ROAST TURKEY SALAD WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 navel oranges

3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

6 ounces roasted turkey breast, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

1/3 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons dried cranberries or raisins

In a vegetable steamer, cook the sweet potatoes until tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the peel and white pith from the oranges. Cut each orange in half lengthwise, place the halves flat on a cutting board, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.