Switch to turkey; Diet strategy: for a change of pace, create exotic dishes with the ultralowfat white meat

"Turkey is the new new white meat," raves Lisa Sasson, R.D., assistant clinical professor at New York University's department of nutrition, food studies and public health in New York City. "It's a perfect alternative to other meats." And that even includes chicken breast!

Low in fat, high in protein and a good source of iron, zinc, phosphorous and B vitamins, the big bird is also the best caloric value. Skinless white-meat turkey has only 135 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per 3.5-ounce serving. In comparison, skinless chicken breast has 165 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, while trimmed, lean beef has 193 calories and nearly 10 grams of fat.

Although turkey conjures up images of hours-long Thanksgiving roasts, boneless breast and other convenience turkey products (see "Turkey ABCs" on page 202) are as easy to prepare as chicken, making it ideal for quick meals. Use bold flavorings from Chinese, Indian and Mexican cuisines to add zip sans fat.

When choosing prepared turkey, keep an eye out for words like natural, hormone-free, free-range and organic on the label to ensure best-quality meat. Commercially processed and precooked turkey products are timesavers, but they also can be high in sodium and nitrites, so read labels carefully.

Curried Turkey Salad With Dried Cherries

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Note: Use homemade turkey breast for this salad, or buy precooked turkey breast available in your grocer's meat case. Briefly cooking the curry powder brings out the rich flavor of the spices; don't skip this step.

1/4 cup dried cherries (or substitute dried cranberries)
1/4 cup wine vinegar (red or white)
  1 tablespoon curry powder
3/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
  3 cups cubed, cooked white-meat turkey
  1 medium (4 ounce) carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
  1 medium (8 ounce) cucumber, peeled, seeded and shredded (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lettuce leaf cups (optional)
  1 tablespoon cashews, finely chopped

Place the dried cherries and vinegar in a small, microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place the curry powder in a small dish and add 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a paste. Set a small nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the curry paste, stirring as it sizzles and the water evaporates. (After a minute or two, the paste will thicken and coat bottom of pan, giving off a strong aroma.) Remove from heat. Add cherries and vinegar to pan. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scrape the curry from the bottom of pan. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate for 2 or 3 minutes. Blend the yogurt into the cooled cherry-curry mixture.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked turkey, shredded carrot and cucumber. Add the yogurt mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to distribute the dressing. Chill until ready to serve. Serve in individual bowls or atop lettuce cups (if desired) and garnish with chopped cashews.

Nutrition score per serving (1 cup): 262 calories, 22% fat (6.2 g; 2.3 g saturated), 23% carbs (14.8 g), 55% protein (34.5 g), 2.5 g fiber, 104 mg calcium, 2.3 mg iron, 111 mg sodium.

Turkey Soft Tacos With Chipotle

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Note: Chipotles (smoked jalapeno peppers) are available as a sauce or whole in adobo (a tomato-based sauce) in the Hispanic-foods section of most supermarkets. If you can only find whole chipotles, puree 2-3 peppers along with some adobo in a blender to proceed with this recipe.

  1 pound turkey breast tenders
  5 tablespoons chipotle sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
  8 whole scallions, trimmed at both ends
  8 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
Salt and black pepper, to taste
  1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
  1 medium avocado, cut into 8 slices
  1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced (1/2 cucumber)
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed
  1 lime, quartered

Preheat grill. Slice turkey tenders on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick strips and place in a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the chipotle sauce and toss meat until well coated. Set aside.

Stir the remaining tablespoon of chipotle sauce into the sour cream. Grill scallions for 2 or 3 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

Lay the marinated turkey strips on the grill and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 2 or 3 minutes per side, until cooked through. While turkey cooks, heat tortillas on the grill for a minute or two, turning frequently, until they have browned around the edges and softened.

To assemble tacos, place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Lay 2 or 3 strips of turkey in the center of each tortilla. Top each with shredded lettuce, avocado, cucumber, tomato and cilantro leaves, then add a grilled scallion and a dollop of the chipotle sour cream. Serve with lime wedge.

Nutrition score per serving (2 tacos): 396 calories, 30% fat (13.6 g; 3.8 g saturated), 36% carbs (36.7 g), 34% protein (35.2 g), 8.7 g fiber, 127 mg calcium, 3.2 mg iron, 293 mg sodium.