Inspiration from the Produce Aisle!

Although I enjoy cooking, too often the planning, shopping and preparing, not to mention the cleaning, becomes a chore and is not so enjoyable. Lately, I have felt very uninspired and uncreative, and I've felt like our meals have shown that. This week began not much differently, except that it was so hot on Tuesday when I went shopping that I just went right to the produce area and loaded up on fresh fruits and veggies. Thus, my week was born and we have had a week of salads and sandwiches.

The best part, it has been one of those weeks that I have done well thinking ahead and prepping extra to make the following days a little easier. Yeah. 

Tuesday - Grilled steak, peppers and onions sandwiches with salad
I shopped, came home and prepped fruits and veggies for the week and marinated steak and chicken breast. 

Wednesday - Make Your Own Tacos
I cooked some bacon and grilled some chicken breast first thing in the morning.

Make you own tacos: sliced grilled Chicken breast, avocado, tomato, Corn & Chili Salsa (trader joe's), black beans, sour cream and salad

Thursday: Sandwiches
BLTs (Bacon that I cooked Wed) &/or chicken and apple salad (reserved some chicken breast from Wed), black bean salad (beans, avocado, tomato and corn & chili salsa - all leftover from make your own tacos), roasted baby potatoes

I'm not sure what we are having tomorrow, but I boiled the baby potatoes (white, red and purple - so pretty) and then roasted half for Thursday's dinner. The other half I chopped and put a little olive oil and vinegar on and am planning to turn into a potato salad to accompany something, probably grilled.

Lamb Curry

Last week, a friend and I visited Trader Joe's and I purchased a Curry Simmer Sauce. OH YUM! Made a Lamb Curry the other night, adding in lamb tips, diced onions, potatoes, carrots, raisins and light coconut milk. (I think without the coconut milk it might have been a bit too spicy for the kids, but with it, they did great!)

It was so easy, and so tasty. I love that you could add in whatever you have at home and dinner can be ready in a few minutes (just make sure to cut the potatoes into a really small dice if you are trying to cook quickly so they get soft enough). Can't wait to try it another time with chick peas, spinach and cauliflower.

Does anyone have any other favorite Trader Joe sauces or marinades?

New Veggie Recipes

I went to a CSA yesterday with a friend to share in her bounty and came home with some swiss chard, okra, tomatillos and bok choy. Anyone have any great recipes for these?

Garlic Grilled Tomatoes

I made these last night for George's birthday. We all loved them! The kids could have easily eaten more, next time I will make more than 1 tomato/person! So simple, yet such great flavor.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/garlic-grilled-tomatoes-recipe/index.html

“I am not a glutton — I am an explorer of food.”

— Erma Bombeck

This sounds good, but the waists of my pants these days might differ in their opinion. So, one of our New Year’s resolutions around Chez Habib is to eat healthier and watch our portion sizes. As a culture, we are all guilty of super-sizing. Start reading serving sizes on labels, you’ll be surprised by how many servings you and your family might actually be consuming. (My older kids recently told me that one of the best lessons I’ve taught them is to be cognizant of what the serving size really is — they don’t always follow it, but they know where to find it if they choose to ;)

One of my new favorite recipes is Sweet Hot Tofu from myrecipes.com. What I love about it is that it’s so adaptable. The first time I make a recipe, I usually try to make it as directed so I can evaluate whether it’s a “keeper” or not. When I first made it for my daughter and I for lunch, I thought it would benefit from the addition of broccoli, so I added broccoli to the leftovers and had them for lunch the rest of the week.

One of my clients loves shrimp and Asian food, so Sweet Hot Shrimp with Broccoli often appears on her menu. Another client loves chicken, voil&agrav;! Sweet Hot Chicken and Snow Peas! What are your favorites? Give it a try yourself.

Sweet hot tofu
serves 4
(modified from myrecipes.com)

1 14-oz package firm, reduced-fat tofu
1 c rice
2 c water
2 t canola oil
2/3 c fat-free, low-sodium vegetable stock(use chicken or seafood stock if you desire modifying the recipe)
1/4 c hoisin sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 t cornstarch
2 t low-sodium soy sauce
1 t honey
1/2 t dark sesame oil
dash of crushed red pepper
2 t fresh ginger, minced or grated
2 t garlic, minced or grated
1 c broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1/3 c green onions, thinly sliced

Drain tofu, wrap in several layers of paper towels or kitchen towel, and place under a heavy plate for about 30 minutes.

Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Once rice is done, add broccoli florets to saucepan and replace cover. Broccoli with steam.

In a small bowl, combine stock, hoisin, sherry, cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper, stirring well. Set aside.

Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sauté for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet.

Add ginger and garlic to pan. Sauté 30 seconds. Stir in broth mixture, and cook 1 minute, or until thickened, stirring constantly. Add tofu and broccoli to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring gently to coat. Remove from burner and add green onions. Serve immediately over rice.

Kale

Brad planted a bunch of Kale in our early spring garden - I've never cooked with it before. Anyone got some recipes or pointers. Some will be ready this week, I think.

The Purcell sisters have a fabulous book, Cocktail Parties, Straight Up! and e-newsletter, Sisters' Secrets to Confident Entertaining filled with tons of great recipes for food and drinks, and tips for fun entertaining. One of my favorite recipes is their Sweet Potato Spread. You’d never believe something so tasty could be so healthy! I recently served it at a Veggie Demo for the New You 2010 Healthy Lifestyle of Newburyport contestants. It was a huge hit! My kids just think it’s orange hommus. Serve it with wedges of foccacia bread, as the Purcell sisters recommend, or with pita chips, or — ultra-healthy — with cut up veggies.
Sweet Potato Spread
Makes 3 cups of spread

3 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lb), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I baked the sweet potatoes whole, then scooped out the tender flesh (less hands-on work)
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 T tahini (sesame paste)
¾ t salt
¼ t curry powder
¼ t ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400°. Place the sweet potatoes in a shallow roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting until soft, about another 30 minutes.

While potatoes are roasting, combine the carrots and onion with ½ cup water in a medium nonstick skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until water evaporates and vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the sweet potatoes, tahini, salt, curry powder, and cumin. Process until smooth. If necessary, add water to make a spreadable puree. Add carrot-onion mixture and pulse until blended.

Serve at room temperature or chilled, with wedges of focaccia.

A great way to add more vegetables to your diet is to snack on them when you need a little something. I love this caponata because it is flavor-filled and loaded with healthy veggies. The original recipe came from my sister, Bridget. I modified it because I employ the chop-as-you-go method, it makes life so much easier. Enjoy it with crostini, crackers, pita chips, or baby carrots and other firm veggies you like to crunch on. It’s also excellent tossed with pasta or couscous—hot or cold!

Eggplant caponata

¼ c olive oil
1 medium onion
1 celery stalk
1 medium eggplant
1 red bell pepper
¼ c kalamata olives
3 T golden raisins
¼ c red wine vinegar
4 t sugar
1 T drained capers
½ t salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper
1 8-oz can tomato sauce

Add olive oil to medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Dice onion, celery, eggplant, red pepper, and add to saucepan as you go. Once vegetables are soft and translucent, cut kalamata olives in half and add to saucepan. Add raisins, vinegar, sugar, capers, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. Flavors benefit from additional simmering, and are better if you allow them to sit before serving. Even better the next day.

Ecclectic Meal

Getting every last bit out of summer vacation!

I asked my family the other day to give me a few final summer meals, things they haven't had enough of, or are at their peak this time of year. My son asked for Grammy's clam chowder (see January 27, 2009 post), my daughter piped in with no corn chowder. Those are similar enough that they can both be on the menu tonight. I had pizza dough in the fridge and frozen caramelized onions, so I tossed those on a pizza with bacon and brie. (I'll report on that creation after we eat.)

A whole family favorite is grilled portabella mushrooms on chiabetta bread with roasted red peppers and mozzarella drizzled with balsamic vinegar. So tomorrow night everyone will be happy with dinner.

Later this week we'll be having grilled sausage and peppers. For the weekend I'm already planning on a BBQ with friends featuring Ribs and steaks. Hopefully we'll get some good summer tomatoes, because with all the rain, they haven't been that great yet. The yellow and white corn has been yummy though:) I also may have to make one more Peach Crisp before it's apple season! Of course, we'll end the BBQ with S'Mores over the chimenea! Enjoy the end of summer!


Corn Chowder (from 365 Quick & Easy Microwave Recipes)
I also just add everything and simmer it on the stove at times.
1/2 pound bacon, diced
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk (can use some half and half to make it creamier)
17 ounce can cream-style corn
7 ounce can corn kernels, drained (or 2-3 ears cut off)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Hot pepper sauce and salt to taste

1. Place bacon in a 4 cup glass measure. Cover with paper towel. Cook on HIGH 5-6 minutes, until crisp. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and set aside. Save 1 T bacon drippings.

2. Place potatoes, onion and I T bacon drippings in a 2 quart casserole. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 minutes, stirring once.

3. stir in milk, cream style corn and corn. Cover and cook on HIGH 10-12 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Add pepper and season with hot sauce and salt to taste.

Serves 4-6

Zuchhini-Wrapped Shrimp with Bacon

I just came across this and thought I'd post it. Katie -- I thought of it for you b/c it is green and orange -- perfect for a St. Pat's Day party. They present the recipe as 4 servings, but I think you could do it on smaller skewers as an appetizer.

3 Tbsp chopped basil

2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing

1 minced garlic clove

1 1/2 lb med shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 med zucchini, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices

3/4 lb slab bacon, sliced 1/4 inch thick cut crosswise into 1 1/2 inch squares (For a vegetarian dish, leave the bacon out.)

In a bowl, combine the basil, olive oil and garlic. Lightly season with S&P and add shrimp to coat.

In a shallow bowl, generously brush zucchini slices on both sides with olive oil and season with S&P; let stand for 5 minutes to soften.

In a skillet, cook bacon over mod heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain.

Working at the tip of the skewer, pierce the very end of the zucchini slice. Swing the zucchini to the side and skewer a shrimp, then loop the zucchini slice around the shrimp and pierce the zucchini slice to secure it around the shrimp. Add another shrimp, wrap the rest of the zucchini slice around it and secure it on the skewer. Add a bacon square.

(I would stop there for appetziers. For 4 servings, add 2 more zucchini slices, 4 more shrimp and 2 more bacon squares.)

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Oil the grill and grill over high heat for about 2 minutes per side, or just until the shrimp are cooked through and the zucchini are still crunchy. Serve hot.

Risotto

I want to make Risotto for dinner tomorrow. Anyone have any recipes they love?

Katie here: Something seems to be wrong with Blogger's comment application, but I was able to edit Bridget's query, so I am doing that. I totally love this recipe ... and so do my clients and my family! I make it in the pressure cooker, but you don't have to. And I've even seen some risottos made in a crockpot, but I haven't tried that yet.

Risotto with Butternut Squash and Pancetta

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 small roasted butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 medium finely chopped onion
2 cups arborio rice
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
additional grated Parmesan
4-6 sage leaves (fresh)

Sauté pancetta in olive oil in pressure cooker until fat is rendered; add onions, and saut´ until translucent. Add broth, wine, squash, and rice. Lock lid and bring to high pressure over high heat. Maintain pressure for 6 minutes.

Quick release and stir butter, Parmesan, and chopped sage, saving a bit of sage and Parmesan for garnish. Season with salt and pepper.

If you make it in a regular saucepan, you'll need to make the following changes.

1. Keep the broth & wine hot in one pan, while making the risotto in another.


2. Precook the squash.


3. After sautéing pancetta and onions, start with 2 cups of the broth-wine mixture, and the squash and rice. Stir constantly, adding liquid ½ cup at a time until it is all incorporated.


4. Finish by stirring in butter, Parmesan, and sage as above.

WOW!

Friday night my husband and I went to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY (where I grew up). It's a combination working farm and restaurant on the beautiful grounds of the Rockefeller Estate. Although the $100 gift certificate barely cover 1/3 of the meal, it was a quite an experience. Look at this review for a write up and photos. http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/06/blue-hill-at-stone-barns-pocantico-hills-new-york-dan-barber-working-farm.html In winter about 30% of the food served is from the farm, in Spring and summer it's over 75%. It's not like any other restaurant we've been to, you don't order an entree, you look over the ingredients list and tell the waiter any allergies, food dislikes and preferences.

I'll do my best to describe our meal. I started with a Black Current Cosmopolitan (that can now be legally grown in NY after a ban of many years) made with fresh lime juice, it was amazing:)
They brought out many starters (for lack of the "sophisticated" names). 1st we had the veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, and snow peas) on the stakes as shown in the review photo, they were slightly blanched and perfectly salted. Delicious! Next they brought out a wooden block with dried veggie "chips", paper thin, some purees, others just dried; beets, butternut squash and turnips. They were all very flavorful. Then we had a fingerling potato wedge that was coated in something and then encrusted in sesame seeds on a skewer. Very unique. We had fresh squeezed grapefruit juice to clean our palates. One of our highlights of the evening were the beet sliders: quarter size fresh baked buns with finely chopped beets, topped with goat cheese and a very little green leaf. Very tasty for the minuet bite. (Plus I got in some beets, Kate:) Lastly there were 2 paper thin slices of fennel salami.

The homemade Potato Onion bread (with a rare small piece of cooked potato in it, and a crusty outside was amazing. I could have eaten only that and been happy. It was served with farm churned butter, fresh ricotta, as well as carrot salt and arugula salt. I tried the salts but didn't find them necessary. The bread was good enough without anything, but the fresh ricotta was delicious.
The Fruit and veggie platter was a mix or pickled (cabbage) and salted (broccoli, cauliflower) veggies as well as fruits (sickle pears, apple) and others (another beet, I couldn't identify all on a platter) with pureed sauces. My husband said it was the best vegetables he's ever eaten.
Then they brought out our Smoke Maine Lobster (1 claw and 1 small tail), it was on a bed of winter veggie puree with whole pistachio nuts in it. I really enjoyed it.

After that they brought out 5 mini tortellini, with 3 different fillings, chestnut, cheese and greens, in a pureed green sauce and topped with pea greens. The fillings were hard to differentiate as they were so tiny, but they were all enjoyable.

Finally it was time for the entrees. Manny had Veal cooked in a sauce with these sweet roasted carrots and a parsnip puree. There were about 4-5 slices of meat, not a ton, but probably a serving size. He really enjoyed it. I had Grouper in a green soup base, kind of like a Vegetable bouillabaisse with white beans and pistachios. It was good, not overly salty and very satisfying.

My only disappointment came at dessert, as I forgot to mention that I didn't like chocolate, plus the $5.75 pot of tea for 1. Manny enjoyed the Hazelnut brownie with cocoa bean ice cream as well as the chocolate mousse that was served with a Beer ice cream (made from Beer from Captain Lawrence's a local brewery, Pleasantville, NY). I tasted the ice cream, it really did taste like beer:) I had Linden Tea for the 1st time, it was good, but not worth $5.75, and Manny enjoyed his $4 cup of coffee, as well as the 2 miniature coffee meringues.

It was definitely a worthwhile experience. I would suggest to go in the warmer weather when you can enjoy the grounds and the more plentiful produce. We were glad to have had the opportunity, thanks to my sister in laws:)

By request

It’s a great compliment when someone requests one of your recipes, but, if you’ve been to three cookouts this month, and been asked for your signature dish every time, you and your family have probably had enough of it. Each summer I like to add a new favorite to my classics so we don’t get bored.

These next couple of days, I’ll post recipes I’ve been asked for recently. If there’s one you’d like me to post, just let me know.

My Classic Potato Salad has a lot of ingredients (my friend Lynne would be very disappointed in me, the list of ingredients should never be longer than the list of directions), but it’s easy—dice, shake, and toss. The Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad (Lynne requests this one all the time!) has several selling points: It’s served warm (great for last-minute plans), it includes a vegetable (almost every gathering these days includes someone avoiding carbs, they can just pick out the potatoes), and it has no mayonnaise (no spoiling in the hot sun).

Classic Potato Salad

1 bag small red potatoes, boiled and diced
1 t onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 pickles, chopped
1½ T oil
1 T vinegar
1 T pickle juice
½ c Miracle Whip salad dressing
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 c Dijon mustard
½ c sour cream
dill and parsley to taste (fresh, if you have it)
basil or tarragon to taste (fresh, if you have it)

Place potatoes, onion, celery, eggs, and pickles into large bowl. Shake condiments in a jar for dressing. Pour over potatoes. Toss salad—shaking in a covered plastic bowl works best. Chill. Top with fresh herbs before serving.

Warm Potato and Green Bean Salad
from The North End Italian Cookbook

2 pounds fresh green beans, tips removed, snapped in half
1 pound new potatoes, unpeeled
2/3 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons oregano, dried
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 pinches red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Steam green beans 8-10 minutes, until tender. Drain and place on serving platter. Boil potatoes until just tender. Drain, do not rinse, let cool, then cube, leaving skin on. Add to green beans. Using a large spoon, gently toss beans and potatoes with remaining ingredients. Serve salad at warm or at room temperature.

Eating from our plenty, part II

I’m bound and determined to make it through the week—and possibly the long weekend—without hitting the grocery store. I’m just plain tired of it.

So, I’m cleaning out the pantry and the freezer again. I had some Cajun Sausage Stew in the freezer, and I decided to make rice to go with it. Thinking about the New Orleans roots of the stew, I remembered a dish from my Desperation Dinners! Cookbook (which had been a gift from my book group when I was expecting my third son—the meals are all ready in 30 minutes or less, gotta love that!). Taken from Blue Runners and Rice, which is red beans and rice (“Blue Runners” is a brand of canned beans for the family in which the recipe originated); these are spectacular! The original recipe includes one pound of turkey kielbasa for a main dish—add a salad and you have a meal; to make them a side dish, as below, I omit the kielbasa.

Red beans and rice

2 t olive oil
1 c onion, chopped
1 c celery, chopped
¾ c red or green bell pepper, chopped
2 t garlic, minced
½ t thyme, dried
½ t basil, dried
½ t oregano, dried
½ t black pepper
½ t salt
½ t Tabasco (more or less to taste, optional)
2 bay leaves
1 14½-oz can fat-free chicken broth
1 15½-oz can red kidney beans (I prefer Progresso dark red kidney beans)
1¾ c instant (5-minute) rice
½ c okra, fresh, chopped or frozen, not thawed, chopped
½ c water, if needed

Heat oil over medium heat in a 12-inch skillet that has a lid. As you chop them, add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook vegetables until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in thyme, basil, oregano, black pepper, Tabasco, and bay leaves.

Raise heat to high, add broth, cover skillet, and bring to a boil. (If using kielbasa, cut it into ¼– to ½-inch thick slices and set aside.) Drain and rinse the beans.

Once broth boils, add beans, okra, and rice (and kielbasa, if using). Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until rice is tender, 5 to 10 minutes. If the broth is absorbed before the rice is tender, add additional ½ cup of water. Serve hot.

Miracle food: Broccoli?

31 Days of Blog: Day 9.On location in New York.

Last night we arrived at my sister's late (midnight), and I had trouble sleeping so I perused the July issue of SELF magazine. I was very surprised to learn, in two different articles, that broccoli can help shield your eyes from the damage caused by the sun, and that it can also reverse the damage to body tissue and organs caused by age. The luteins in broccoli give it the antioxidant power to protect you from the sun. The sulforaphane in broccoli reverses the aging process (well, perhaps I overstate).

• Now, I have always known that it is high in calcium. One serving of broccoli doesn't quite equal the calcium in one glass of milk, but it's a great boost to the calcium in your daily diet. For your own reference, calcium not only builds strong bones and staves off osteoporosis, it also helps keep blood pressure lower, and is connected with a healthy, cancer-free colon.
  
• Broccoli is also one of those "dark, leafy greens" always extolled for being rich in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene (Vitamin A) and Vitamin C (also abundant in these green "trees") have been linked to the reduction of cataracts and heart disease.
  
• Broccoli is also contains folic acid, especially important in pregnant women. I remember craving it when I was pregnant with my third son, Jude, and the doctor definitely encouraged my indulging my craving. It has been linked to helping create healthy fetuses, it also seems to prevent cervical cancer and can reduce osteoporosis. In both men and women, it helps combat heart disease. It also releases serotonin, which makes it act as a mild antidepressant.
  
• The fiber in broccoli is half soluble and half insoluble, both of which a body needs.
  
• Broccoli is also a member of the cabbage, or crucifer, family. Crucifers are thought to reduce the risk of bladder cancer.
  
• In addition, broccoli provides kaempferol, also found in green tea and onions, which has been found to lower a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.

This is no light list. I think I'll up my intake of this veggie!

Broccoli is basically a cool-weather vegetable, though through refrigeration and trucking it is available year-round, its flavor is best from late fall through early spring.

Often broccoli (both raw and cooked) suffers from the smell of sulfur. Often times, you can avoid this by eating the broccoli before it begins to wilt in your refrigerator. When cooking, avoid this smell of sulfur by just steaming the broccoli until bright green, then running it under cold water or immersing it in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. Cooked broccoli tastes best when cooked al dente; it looks most appetizing (bright green) that way too. Raw broccoli, while tasty, repeats on you more than cooked broccoli does.

When my boys were young, my husband always called broccoli "trees" to make them laugh, and try one more bite. We usually served broccoli with something for the kids to dip it in: ranch dressing, cheese sauce, ketchup, marinara sauce, you name it, if those boys could dip it, they would usually eat it, eventually. I love white pizza with broccoli and pasta with broccoli and chicken; my husband doesn't think broccoli belongs on pizza or in pasta, so those don't often get prepared at Chez Habib. We do, however, pile it on stuffed baked potatoes, usually with generous helpings of cheddar cheese and sour cream.

The most commented on salad I've ever served is Broccoli-Bacon Salad. It's something my mom would've served in the '60s and '70s. No one in health-conscious 2008 would have developed this recipe, but it is the #1 hit at every party I've ever served it. My recipe comes from a collaborative cookbook put together by the PTO at my boys' school when my oldest (now a sophomore in high school) was in 1st grade. My friend, Nancy, submitted the recipe, her daughter was in my son's class at the time. Our paths don't cross as often anymore, but I love thinking of her each time I make this salad.

Broccoli-Bacon salad

1 head broccoli
10 slices bacon
1/4 c pecans
1/2 c cheddar cheese, finely shredded
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c sugar
1 c mayonnaise
2 T white vinegar

Cook bacon until crisp; cool, then crumble. Place raisins in 2 c very hot water to plump. Cut broccoli heat into very small bite-size pieces. Mix broccoli with nuts, cheese, and raisins. Combine sugar, mayo, and vinegar to make dressing. Store in refrigerator. Just before serving, dress and toss.

Leftovers by any other name …, continued

Anyone who knows me knows a few things about me:

1. I hate to throw anything out.


2. I love leftovers, but my family doesn’t, which brings me to ...


3. I try to disguise leftovers in every imaginable form, so my family does not recognize them as having been a previous meal — chicken pot pie, chicken soup, vegetable soup, stews of all shapes and sizes, cheesy vegetable enchiladas (really any Mexican is ideal for hiding the evidence of the previous meal).

Given all those givens, I encountered a surprising piece of information last week that made me ask: How did I miss that?!

I put on an interactive dinner party last week, and one of the dishes we made was Gazpacho. Fourteen women were cooking the meal together. When the duo that was making the gazpacho was chatting with me, one of them remarked, “We always had gazpacho growing up, my mother made it out of leftover salad.”

She what?! I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of that. (Even if you know me pretty well, you may not know that I love gazpacho, I seldom make it, because my own family balks at cold tomato and vegetable soup.) n my defense, maybe I never thought of it, because I was never really trying to get rid of leftover salad: I grew up in a family of eight, we never had leftover salad. Even in my own family, my kids love salad, and we seldom have any leftover.

I do remember being surprised when I first met my husband’s family and found out that his Lebanese side of the family even had a name for leftover salad (mixed with day-old Syrian (pita) bread): Fatoush.

So, turning leftover salad into an entirely different dish you could actually serve to people, I love it! I mentioned it to my friend, Eileen, who is a vegetarian, and a very good cook, she said she’d only use the tomatoes and cucumbers from the leftover salad, so I tried.

I used the Gazpacho recipe from a friend I used to work with.

Vivian's blender gazpacho

5 large tomatoes, ripe and firm, divided use
3 European cucumbers, long seedless, peeled, divided use
¼ c olive oil
½ bunch green onions
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch chives
3 garlic cloves
5 dashes red wine vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1⅔ c beef broth
black pepper, fresh ground
1⅔ c tomato juice
1-2 dashes Tabasco

Blend 2 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, oil, parsley, garlic, lemon, broth, tomato juice, onion, chives, vinegar, Worcestershire, and peppers in blender briefly and place in large bowl. Chop remaining tomato and cucumber coarsely and add to soup. Stir together and refrigerate overnight before serving.

To modify it, I went with Eileen’s suggestion and just used the tomatoes and the cukes, I used leftover tomato soup instead of the tomato juice, and I didn’t have any chives. I had slightly less parsley and green onions than the recipe called for, but I was very happy with the results, and I bet it will be even better tonight or tomorrow, and next time, I’ll try with more of the salad, just to see how it goes.

As a final note, another friend said she makes meatloaf when she cleans out her fridge. As with my gazpacho recipe, I’ve never entertained deviating from my few favorite meatloaf recipes, but in the interest of wastelessness, I may expand my horizons. Check back here for the results some time soon.

Leftovers by any other name …

During a large family dinner my sister-in-law announced, “My husband doesn’t like leftovers.” To which my mother responded, “Oh, I don’t believe that.” (Mom meant, my brother pretty much eats anything that doesn’t move and we always ate leftovers growing up.)

My brother sat in the middle of the two women looking sheepish. How else can you look when your mother & wife are disagreeing on your dining preferences over your dinner plate? In my mother’s defense, my brother was devouring Turkey Pot Pie, made with the leftover turkey and any and all fixings from the previous day's dinner, clearly leftovers. In my sister-in-law’s defense, we always ate leftovers growing up. My house was really like that joke about no one actually remembering the original meal. And when there was an original meal, it was already dry and overcooked, so you can imagine how much we all looked forward to those leftovers, even my brother who was fairly indiscriminate about his food.

Anyway, we took pity on my brother and hijacked the conversation to discuss how we each deal with leftovers in our own homes — truly a great strategy for getting a quick meal on the table. One of my sisters said her family actually looked forward to “Make Your Own Plate Night.” She puts out whatever’s in the fridge, and — this is the important part — her only rule is you must choose one protein and one vegetable, other than that, you can choose whatever you like. I do the same thing, but I call it “Leftover Night.” When I tested out “Make Your Own Plate Night” tonight, it was met with much better results. Go figure.

The other thing I try to do is make a new meal out of an old meal, thus the turkey pot pie that was being eaten during the conversation in question. It's easy and healthy and my family always eats it with gusto.

Turkey pot pie
Tender turkey with vegetables in a creamy sauce and a flaky crust—ultimate comfort food!

1 puff pastry sheet
6 T butter
6 T flour
½ t pepper
1 14½ oz can chicken broth
½ c milk
1 thyme sprig
salt and pepper to taste
4 c turkey, cooked and diced
2 c carrots*
1 10 oz. package frozen peas and onions*

Preheat oven to 425°.

Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, stir until combined and cooked into a roux, about 5 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth and milk and continue stirring. (If you’re making it from a leftover turkey dinner, add any leftover gravy at this point too.)

Once all the milk and broth have been incorporated, add thyme sprig. Simmer until sauce has thickened. Place turkey and all veggies into 2-qt casserole dish. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour over turkey and veggies. Top with puff pastry. (Can be wrapped in foil and plastic at this point, and frozen to cook at a later date. To cook after freezing, defrost in the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat, and continue with baking.)

Bake at 425° for 30-35 minutes.

Cover with aluminum foil if crust starts to get too brown.

Serve with mashed potatoes and green salad.

*Whenever possible, I use leftover veggies of any kind. That’s what makes it a true pot pie. When prepare it for clients, I have to use fresh or frozen veggies because I have no leftovers.

Variations: Chicken Pot Pie: Use leftover roasted chicken from your own oven, or from your grocer’s rotisserrie.
Crustless Pot Pie: Rather than using puff pastry as a top crust, use mashed sweet potatoes. It’s a yummy, low-carb alternative.
Dairy-free: Omit the milk, and increase the chicken broth by ½ cup.