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Tag: left overs

Mexican Stew with Roasted Corn

Mexican Stew with Corn I had a cup of leftover poblano raisin sauce from the weekend. I decided to make my favorite kind of meal- a one pot meal. I bought some boneless skinless chicken thighs. That is all I needed since I took the rest out of my fridge and pantry.

I sauteed some onion and carrots with olive oil. I added the sauce, chicken and chicken broth. I let the chicken cook for a while.. until it was ready to fall apart. Considering it is a stew, it took me all of 45 minutes to make. The trick to really good flavor was of course the yummy sauce.. but I also sauteed the chicken pieces in some hot olive oil before I cooked the onions and the garlic. The browning of the meat gives the stew a delicious, nutty flavor and the chicken tastes really good also. The roasted corn complemented the dish really well. I always have a few packs in my freezer was such occasions. A generous helping of fresh cilantro completed the dish. I served it with a big salad and a dollop of guacamole… delish!
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Scrambled Eggs with Peppers and Steak

Scrambled Eggs with Steak and Peppers I still had some of the steak and vegetable mixture left from the other day- about half a cup. I came downstairs to my kitchen Saturday morning and wondered what to make for breakfast. It is my favorite time of the day- no one is around and I love being in my kitchen by myself.

I was going to do the usual coffee/tea, toast/GG crackers but then I thought about the steak mixture I had in the fridge. I decided to use it up with some shredded cheese and eggs.

I took out some eggs and beat them up with a bit of salt. I added chopped cilantro and the shredded cheese into the egg mixture. That was it- I sauteed the steak mixture in a non-stick pan and added the eggs. I folded them gently while turning the heat down.

I served the eggs with warmed whole-wheat tortillas and it was delicious…
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Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla

Mushroom and Spinach Quesadilla This is a great way to transform your left overs and create a wonderful, quick lunch. I made this for myself with the leftover mushroom mixture from the enchilada dinner.

Smoked salmon is always in my fridge. I try to eat it as much as possible especially since the other two people in my family don’t care for the fish at all.

I wanted to make a substantial yet healthy lunch for myself. I took out the mushroom filling and the salmon. I decided to add some spicy low fat cheese- just a few, very thin slices to add some creaminess to the dish. I also always have whole-wheat tortillas in the fridge- and that was it- a quesadilla was born. I added the mushroom filling, salmon, cheese and baby spinach- also, always in my fridge. It was a well-balanced, quick and delicious lunch. Best of all, I ate it with some delicious homemade salsa.

Try the quesadilla next time you run out of ideas for a healthy lunch…
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Great Leftover Recipe: Shrimp and Arugula Quesadilla

Shrimp QuesadillasThe weather has been very kind to us lately- I guess we deserve it after the spring we have had. We decided to keep my daughter home from camp one day and visit a lake. Everyone was responsible for packing their own food, snacks and fruit, etc. I thought of cherries and nectarines for fruit; gogurts and fruit leather for snacks- but was having trouble deciding on the lunch part. 

My daughter has been into quesadillas lately- which is good since she doesn’t like to eat sandwiches. So- quesadillas came to mind- cheese for her but what about me?? The left over shrimps from the shrimp rolls came to mind.. hmm.. I thought of chopping those up with the grated Mexican cheese blend- perfect- but what about veggies?? I thought of packing a salad but the idea of lettuce on a warm day wilting away didn’t seem very appealing. I instead thought of adding a bit of arugula right into the quesadilla.

Now, ideally I like to dip my quesadilla into something spicy- like a tomato salsa or guacamole. I didn’t have any made and I was too lazy to go buy some and pack tiny containers- too complicated. I used my favorite hot sauce instead- the sriracha sauce. I love using this particular one, it has great flavor with the heat. It has a bit of garlic and sugar paired with the tang and saltiness- perfection in my book! The combination was yum- the quesadilla tasted great room temperature- the shrimp gave it nice substance while the greens gave it a nice crunch- yup they were still a bit crunchy. The hot sauce put it over the top- it was delicious! I devoured the entire quesadilla in less than a minute and wished I had made another one. We ate sweet and juicy nectarines and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

A great picnic or pool item to pack along- no reason to have the not so healthy and not so tasty food you tend to get at those places. 

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