COMBINING COLUMBUS DAY AND THANKSGIVING:

Turkey cutlets stand in for chicken breasts: Try this recipe for Parmesan crusted turkey (The Associated Press, 10/23/07)

Turkey-breast cutlets are thin slices of skinless meat that cook quickly and require almost no prep work. They have only half a gram of fat per 4-ounce serving. [...]

Turkey breast cutlets can be used in almost any recipe that calls for boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you'll need to reduce the cooking time. They cook in as little as 2 to 3 minutes per side and can toughen and dry out quickly. [...]

Parmesan Turkey Cutlets

Olive oil cooking spray

1 pound turkey breast cutlets

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 large egg whites

Place a rack in the top third of oven. Preheat oven to 425 F. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat the rack lightly with cooking spray.

Brush both sides of the turkey breast cutlets with mustard. In a pie plate or other shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy and opaque. Dip each cutlet into the beaten egg whites, then in the bread crumb mixture. Place the cutlets on the prepared rack over the baking sheet. Discard remaining bread crumb mixture.

Coat the top of each cutlet with cooking spray, turn the cutlets over and spray again. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crumb coating is golden-brown and crisp and the turkey is no longer pink at the center. Makes 4 servings.