Thanksgiving - eight more days! - is a day for thinking big: Big bird, big dinner. Some celebrations are small, though, and for those, here's an alternative to a whole roasted turkey.

If you don't need it for Thanksgiving, it's also a good recipe to keep in your back pocket for the frenzy-packed days leading up to - what was that other holiday? oh yeah - Christmas.

The dish is called Coca Cola Turkey and it's served at the Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl. Chef Shane Masutani shared the recipe in a cooking demonstration at Macy's last month, but J. Fukunaga missed the event and wrote hoping to get the recipe after the fact. “;It's delicious.”;

Masutani was happy to pass it on.

The recipe uses strips of breast meat that are marinated in a teriyaki-like mix of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, but with Coke and Sprite instead of sugar. At the restaurant, the meat is grilled and served in sandwiches and salads.

If it's too much trouble to break out the hibachi, Masutani suggests using a grill pan on the stove. Pan-frying will also work, but should be a last resort, he said. “;Grilling adds a different dimension to the turkey with bits of charred turkey on the outside while remaining tender and moist.”;

His other tips:

» The grill should be hot enough to get a good sizzle as soon as the meat goes on, but not so hot that it chars and shrinks the meat. “;When there are flare ups, move the meat so it doesn't sit in the fire.”;

» If starting with a whole breast, cut it up into manageable pieces before marinating. Cut with the grain, make the pieces consistent in size - “;That means try not to have one side skinny and one side fat”; - for even grilling. After cooking, cut against the grain to get tender, bite-sized slices.

I tested this recipe using chicken breast tenders (the supermarket only had whole, solidly frozen turkeys, no pieces), using a grill pan on a portable gas burner. It got rave reviews from the family. In fact, I hardly got to eat any of it. The recipe's going into my regular meal rotation, with turkey when I can find it, or chicken as a fallback.

Coca Cola Turkey

1 pound turkey breast meat, cut into strips
» Marinade:
1 cup Coca Cola
1 cup Sprite
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over turkey. Marinate, refrigerated, at least 4 hours.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill.

Remove turkey from marinade and grill over medium heat until cooked through, but not overcooked or it will be dry. Let rest a few minutes. Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: (assumes half of key elements of marinade are absorbed): 350 calories, 4.5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 140 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,500 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 14 g sugar, 59 g protein.