These colorful salad cups dazzle the eyes (and taste buds)

Seldom have I prepared a dish so colorful. These Colorful Turkey Salad Cups were just filled with good, healthy little bites that made a beautiful dish as well.

Who could argue with ingredients such as mango, avocado, cucumber, red pepper, red onion, and toasted pecans, all tossed with a light dressing of a cranberry sauce/sugar-free orange marmalade mixture? Truly healthy; truly attention-grabbing. Hubby kept asking, “Nothing unhealthy about this, right?” (I think he just wanted permission to have another serving.)

Again, without chopped cooked turkey on hand, I subbed cooked chicken for it. The recipe called for hoisin sauce, to be purchased in the Oriental section of a traditional grocery, but I skipped this step (didn’t have this ingredient) and instead subbed about 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. One more sub: spinach leaves for Bibb lettuce. Any time I can work a little spinach, because of its health benefits, into a recipe, I try to do so.

This was a goodie for us! We cleaned up the last morsel yesterday after several days of storing the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator—a wonderful salad that (like the rest of us!) only improves with age.

Colorful Turkey Salad Cups

1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce

2 tablespoons orange marmalade (I used sugar-free.)

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I used soy sauce.)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups cubed cooked turkey (I subbed cooked chicken.)

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

1 medium mango, peeled and chopped

1 medium avocado, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

12 Bibb lettuce leaves (I subbed fresh spinach leaves)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

In a small saucepan combine the cranberry sauce, marmalade, hoisin sauce, and pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until blended. Stir occasionally. Cool. In a large bowl combine the turkey, red pepper, onion, cucumber, mango, avocado, pecans, ginger, and cranberry mixture. Spoon onto lettuce leaves; sprinkle with mint and basil. Refrigerate until you serve. Makes 6 servings. (Courtesy Tasteofhome.com).