In our house there aren’t really any leftovers. What we do have is food that has not yet been eaten. It may be cooked already, but I don’t call it leftovers. You see, Fabgrandpa does not LIKE leftovers. So, I found out a long time ago that in order to make good use of the food we have, I have to do something different with it from time to time.
Tonight I made stuffed peppers with garlic toast and tossed salad. I started out with something entirely new, two green bell peppers. I cut them in half, took out the seeds and membranes, and put them in a 8 X 8 casserole dish.
I had some rice that was leftover, I mean stored in the fridge, from last week. I put that together with 1/3 pound ground meat (I use a mixture of 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb ground pork, and o1 pound ground beef. I mush it all together and freeze in 1/3 pound portions). A half an onion, one zucchini, some garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and a 16 oz can of tomatoes finish up the dish.
Cook the meat with the onion, garlic, and zucchini until the meat is just browned. Add the seasonings, rice, cheese, and can of tomatoes to the pan. Mix together well. Fill each of the pepper halves with a generous portion of the filling. There will be about half of the filling left when you are finished stuffing the peppers. You can put that part in a ziplock freezer bag and put it in the freezer for another day. Pour about 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the baking dish, place the baking dish on a cookie sheet, and place in the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
While the peppers were baking, I made a tossed salad. I think lettuce is quite pretty, don’t you? Anyway, the salad was a simple one of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and green onions. I had some of that fresh mozzarella pesto tomato salad from the other day. It wasn’t enough for one person, but I added a little olive oil and some wine vinegar, mixed it up, and used as a dressing for tonight’s salad. When the peppers were done, I put some slices of that bread I made the other day under the broiler with some garlic butter. That rounded out the meal:
Do you use up all your leftovers, or just toss them out? What do you do to make them “new”?
We love leftovers here, so I usually just serve them again the way I served them the first time.
Sometimes I will make something new out of them, though. For example, we are grilling steaks this week and I will grill an extra one that I will dice up to put on loaded baked potatoes another night.
The only time I’d throw something out is if it was just horrible the first time, or if I forget that it’s in the fridge. Neither of those happen often, though…maybe one item every month or two.
My husband does not eat leftovers either. I store only previously cooked food in the fridge as well.
I have to be very creative and sneaky to be able to convince him though.
Oh yes, I love repurposing food! I usually chop it up and make stir-fries or soups or stews. Another think I love to do is freeze it right away. Then use it later on for lunches or dinners.
We have repurposed food in my house, too. I really love the convenience of leftovers and how much time and money they save. But we only have repurposed food because I have learned that men and leftovers just don’t get along.
I agree with you that lettuce is pretty. The peppers are, too. In fact, food is just pretty, especially in your photographs. Your photos are quite lovely.
I loved the idea of mixing the three ground meats. I’m going to do that!
As for leftovers – whatever I cook, I usually make enough of the main dish for two meals. Sometimes we have it two nights in a row and sometimes a few days between. I will add new sides for the second meal. My husband doesn’t mind at all……and some things are just better the second time around, like lasagna!
Susan