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Leftover Recipes
Turn
Leftovers into a Feast
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(ARA) - Whether you
cook foods yourself, buy them ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat, it seems there are
inevitably leftovers. The amounts might be substantial or miniscule, but there’s
always the question of how to use the bits and pieces creatively before they
spoil.
All-natural eggs, with their high-quality protein and amazing versatility, can
come to the rescue. A number of easy-to-make egg dishes are ideally suited to
using up those odds and ends of different foods.
Two possibilities are French omelets and frittatas, the
unfolded Italian version of an omelet. You can fill each
French omelet with 1/2 cup or so of food, all one food
or several combined. For a six-egg frittata to feed six
people, use a total of about 1 1/2 cups of flavoring
foods. Howard Helmer, holder of the Guinness Word Record
for fastest omelet making, likes to fill omelets with
the toppings scraped off of leftover pizza, but you
could also flavor an omelet or a frittata with pieces of
chopped cooked poultry, meat or fish and what’s left of
yesterday’s cooked veggies.
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A quiche is another choice. When restaurateurs feature
the quiche of the day, it’s often filled with whatever
didn’t sell out the day before. You can use the same
trick at home. A good proportion of ingredients for a
standard 9-inch pie shell is: 6 eggs beaten with 1 cup
of milk plus 1/2 cup of shredded cheese and 1/2 to 1 cup
of chopped, cooked meat, fish, poultry or veggies.
Simply put everything in the pie shell, add a sprinkling
of your favorite herb or seasoning blend, and bake at
375 F for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Got stale bread around? Revive it by turning it into a
strata, a layered casserole. For the most even cooking,
cube the bread and toss it with shredded cheese (old and
dried is okay) and whatever else you have on hand for
flavoring -- maybe cubes of leftover pork chops and a
handful of kernel corn. Pour on eggs beaten with milk
and bake at 350 F until a knife poked near the center
comes out clean, from 30 minutes to a bit over a hour,
depending on the size of the casserole dish you use.
For leftover rice or pasta, invent your own spaghetti
carbonara or fried rice. Simply heat the rice or pasta
with dribs and drabs of leftover vegetables and meat,
fish or poultry, if you have any on hand. Then, pour on
some eggs beaten with a little milk and scramble. Add
some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to the pasta dish
and a dash of soy or teriyaki sauce to the rice dish. In
just minutes, dinner’s ready to serve and your family
probably won’t recognize the leftovers.
For more recipes that make the most of leftovers, visit
www.IncredibleEgg.org.
Omelet Rancheros
Makes one serving
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
1/4 cup salsa or taco sauce, divided
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) shredded reduced-fat Monterey
Jack or Cheddar cheese
Lemon and lime wedges, optional
Directions:
In a small saucepan over low heat, stir together beans
and 2 tablespoons of the salsa. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until heated through. Keep warm while
preparing omelet.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs and water until
blended. Evenly coat 7- to 10-inch omelet pan or skillet
with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat until
just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg
mixture. (Mixture should set immediately at edges.)
With an inverted pancake turner, carefully push cooked
portions at edges toward center so uncooked portions can
reach hot pan surface, tilting pan and moving cooked
portions as necessary. Cook until top is thickened and
no visible liquid egg remains.
Spread hot bean mixture down center of omelet. Sprinkle
with cheese. With pancake turner, fold sides of omelet
over beans and cheese. Slide from pan onto plate. Spoon
on remaining salsa. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges,
if desired.
Instead of the refried beans and salsa in this recipe,
you could use leftover red- or green-sauced chili or
bits of meatballs and what’s left of a jar of spaghetti
sauce. Any shredded cheese will work, including
American, brick, mozzarella, provolone and Swiss.
Variable Vegetable Strata
Makes four servings
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
6 slices day-old bread
1 to 2 cups chopped cooked vegetables
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 eggs
1 can (10.75 ounces) low-fat, reduced-sodium, condensed
cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup skim or low-fat milk
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Evenly coat a 2-inch deep 8-by-8 (or 2-quart
rectangular) baking dish with spray. Cut bread into
1/2-inch cubes. Evenly sprinkle half of the cubes into
prepared dish. Sprinkle vegetables and cheese over
cubes. Sprinkle with remaining cubes.
In medium bowl, beat together eggs, soup, milk, mustard,
basil and pepper. Pour over bread-vegetable mixture and
cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in
preheated 350 F oven until knife inserted near center
comes out clean and top is golden brown, about 50 to 60
minutes.
To flavor this casserole, you can use any bread and
veggies you like or have on hand. You can also
substitute a different type of shredded cheese or flavor
of soup.
Additional Resources
Finally Organized - Finally Free - An amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips.
Organize-Everything.com - Organizing and storage products for the home, office, or business, including containers and shelving.
Get Organized - Space savers to unclutter your life.
CountryHomemaking.com: Favorite family recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, original articles and more; from our country home to yours. Pay us a visit and find out how to add some country charm to the busiest room in the house!
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