Leftovers

you made a huge meal, and now you’re stuck…with leftovers.  if you’re me, you don’t want to eat the same meal twice in a row.  it was good the first time, but now it’s time to move on.  the best way to reuse meat leftovers is to put the meat into dishes that normally require you to cook the meat separately first.  here’s some suggestions.

salads

asian chicken salad - romaine, chicken, mandarin oranges, crunchy noodles, cucumbers with asian dressing

taco salad – ground meat with taco seasoning, over a mix of greens, shredded carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, with crunched doritos.

butternut squash salad

soups

curried butternut squash  - butternut squash, onions, celery, carrots, chicken broth, and curry powder

potato and leek – potatoes, leeks, onions, celery, carrots, white wine, chicken broth, and milk/cream

chicken noodle -  chicken, noodles, celery, carrots, onions, chicken broth, garlic

sandwiches

meatloaf - sourdough bread, meatloaf, and ketchup

chicken salad – chicken, celery, grapes, white wine, mayonnaise, on whole wheat

quesadillas – pork, provolone, mozzarella, pico de gallo, sour cream, tortillas

other

chicken pot pie – chicken, gravy, celery, carrots, onion, peas, corn, lima beans, pie crust

pizza – veggies, meat, pizza crust

zucchini boats – ground meat, tomatoes, zucchini, cheese

stuffed squash – meat, rice, tomatoes

stuffed peppers – meat, onions, corn, black beans, oregano, cumin, poblano pepper, garlic

this list should get your mind thinking and give you some new ideas to try.

Succotash

let’s say you’re making some mexican.  what goes with mexican food besides beans and rice (that isn’t deep fried)?  well maybe nothing else goes with it naturally, but in my eyes succotash does.  succotash is a dish made from corn and lima beans, and to me anything with corn goes with tacos, fajitas, chili rellanos, etc.  even if you don’t put it on the side of some quesadillas, try it with your turkey this thanksgiving.  that’s a classic combination.

Succotash
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ears of corn, or 2½ c frozen
1 (10 ounce) package lima beans
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
¼ cup basil

heat oil over medium heat and add onion and garlic. cook until onion is softened. add in corn and lima beans, cook for 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. season with salt and pepper and pour vinegar in. cook until tomatoes softened then turn stove off. sprinkle with basil and serve.

tips:

• have cherry tomatoes?  use them.  but please don’t use romas, beefsteaks, heirloom, or any other big variety of tomatoes…keep them small.  trust me, the big ones just don’t taste the same.
• leery of the vinegar?  don’t be, without it, the succotash won’t have enough flavor.
• frozen lima beans are great, frozen corn is not.  if corn isn’t in season, it’s better to go frozen since all frozen vegetables are frozen at the peak of perfection.  but something always gets lost when it gets frozen.  so if fresh is available…use it.

How To Jazz Up Any Side Salad

a side salad is instrumental to a great meal, but it’s done wrong all too often.  it’s easy to just throw some carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes on top of some iceberg…but we can and need to do better. 

the best salads are made with a variety of colors and textures.

when you think red, you should think: tomatoes (grape, cherry, heirloom, roma, beefsteak), red peppers, radicchio,  beets, cherries, apples, and pears.  orange/yellows: orange and yellow bell peppers, corn, carrots, butternut squash.  blue/purple: currants, raisins, olives and purple onions.  and finally green: artichokes, green beans, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cucumbers, green apples, celery, green onions, green peppers, peas, and spinach.  as far as lettuce goes, branch out.  try green leaf, boston leaf lettuce, arugula, red leaf, romaine, endive, and frise.

to add different textures try dried fruit, nuts, shredded cheese, and croutons, in addition to the mixture of soft and crunchy veggies.

let’s build a few:

side salad 1 – green leaf lettuce, carrots, beets, corn, and pecans.
side salad 2 – arugula, pears, blue cheese, craisins and walnuts.
side salad 3 – spinach, butternut squash, dried cherries, parmesan, and almonds.

now you try…

Take Two on Fajitas

i hate leftovers.  no let me rephrase that, i hate eating the same thing twice in a row.  if i have leftover chicken i’ll make quesadillas, chicken pot pie, soup, etc.  i will not eat the chicken in the same way i did the first time.  chicken is the easiest protein to change into a different dish.  but what do you do with steak?  last night i made steak sandwiches on a baguette roll with a blue cheese, sour cream, and maynnaise spread (another ina garten recipe).  that was pretty good, but my favorite thing to do with left over steak is to make steak faijita pasta.  it’s a recipe that i refer to as my rachael ray special because i combined two of my favorites (steak and faijitas) like she commonly does (buffalo chicken calzones anyone?).  all favorites aren’t primed to be put together, like bacon and peanut butter, but most are worth a try.

Steak Faijita Pasta
1 serving of pasta, recommended farfalle (bow tie)
1 serving of leftover steak, sliced thin into bite size pieces
1 tbs oil
1/4 c green bell pepper, sliced
2 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c onion, sliced
1/4 c corn
a few shakes of taco seasoning
reserved pasta water
1/4 c monterray jack cheese

cook the pasta according to package instructions.  while the pasta cooking heat the oil in a saute pan (choose one big enough for all the veggies and pasta combined).  once the oil starts to smoke/ripple add the peppers, mushrooms and onions and season the veggies with salt and pepper.  once the veggies have started to soften, 5 minutes, add the corn then add the taco seasoning and a laddle full of the pasta water.  once the pasta has finished cooking, add the pasta to the veggies and toss together.  finally top the pasta with some monterray jack cheese.

tips:

• most pasta works, but lean towards ones that say “rigate” on the box.  this means it has lines that will allow the sauce to stick to the pasta.  or in my case i just love farfalle, so that’s what i used.
• any colored sweet pepper would work.  they give slightly different flavors (red being the most sweet).
• the directions call for pasta water because, once the pasta starts to cook it releases starches.  we’re using those same starches to thicken the pasta sauce. so don’t use tap water!

Sweet Corn Salad

it’s august, and it’s also the season for corn.  you can find it in plentiful amounts in the grocery store, but preferably at the farm stand.  well once you’ve had enough boiled, you need another solution.  luckily for me, ina garten saved me last year with her fresh corn salad.  since then i’ve been making my own adaptation.

Sweet Corn Salad

5 ears of corn, shucked
1/2 c small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
1/4 c orange pepper, diced
1/2 c baby arugula
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

place the corn in a large pot of water, and turn the heat up to high.  once the water has come to a boil turn off the corn and let it sit for 10 minutes.  then drain the water and allow the corn to cool on the cutting board.  once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off and place in a bowl.

then add the red onions, orange pepper, arugula, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  serve the salad cold or at room temperature.

my tips:

• feel free to add any vegetables that you would add to a lettuce salad.
• looks are important.  not only do different colors look good together, they also mean you are getting a wide variety of nutrients.
• if you are not familiar with arugula, make sure you get acquainted.  it’s a peppery tasting type of lettuce, and to me it is the most undervalued lettuce.