Flip the previous few elements and leftovers in your fridge into utterly new dishes you may get pleasure from
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Leftovers are a surprisingly controversial subject. Some individuals love them (consuming chilly pizza whereas standing in entrance of the fridge is a treasured pastime of mine). And a few individuals cannot stand the concept of consuming yesterday’s meals … once more!
Properly, it seems that just a few of you in our viewers are certainly “leftovers individuals.” And we’re not simply speaking about consuming Monday’s casserole on Thursday or having that final little bit of takeout rooster parm.
A few of you get pleasure from turning them into utterly new dishes, stuffing them into ancho peppers or making Polish beet soup simply to make use of up your fridge’s odds and ends.
Listed below are seven methods to rework your leftovers, shared by our viewers. They arrive from a query we requested final month in a narrative and podcast episode on tips on how to scale back meals waste, by journalist Emily Siner. These have been edited for size and readability.
Layer your leftovers in a biryani casserole
At any time when I’ve random bits of meat, veggie stir-fry or dal, I layer them right into a baking dish, alternating with rice (leftover rice works fairly nicely for this). To raise it, I throw contemporary mint on prime and drizzle over just a little heat milk infused with saffron strands. Seal it tightly with foil, bake at 400 F, and it tastes model new. — Pradosh Mohapatra
Smash your leftovers right into a crunchy panini
Seize your favourite bread and slather it with a straightforward DIY aioli (whisk collectively mayo, olive oil, sriracha, garlic or garlic powder, lemon juice and Dijon mustard). Stuff it together with your leftover meats and veggies, then hit it within the sandwich press till it is sizzling and crunchy. — Pradosh Mohapatra
Do not sleep on that rooster carcass
The one factor I search for probably the most is a leftover rotisserie rooster. After thanking the rooster for her service, I separate any usable meat and refrigerate. The remaining goes right into a inventory pot with leftover frozen celery tops, onion skins and perhaps the odd garlic clove. I add in bay leaf, sage powder, salt and floor pepper. After it cooks for hours, I am going to pressure [the stock], style it for taste, after which resolve what to do with it.
One among my favourite methods to make use of the leftover rooster and inventory is to make rooster and dumplings. One other is a porridge-like soup, form of like a juk. I put 1 / 4 of a cup of rice, diced up greens and leftover rooster in 32 oz. or so of inventory. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. — Jennifer Webster
Stuff your leftovers into ancho peppers
Slice ancho peppers lengthwise into halves, de-seed them and steam with just a little water within the microwave. Then stuff them with any combo of roasted veggies like onion, squash, broccoli and carrots, and rice or beans.
Make a sauce of tomatoes or tomato paste and leftover chopped herbs or dried spices like cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika and oregano. Unfold a skinny layer of sauce in a dish, then add the [stuffed] peppers, the remainder of the sauce on prime, and canopy with foil. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Prime with chopped cilantro when you have it. — Jennifer Sabie
Scramble your leftovers with tofu for brekkie
Chop leftover veggies and add them to tofu for a high-protein low-fat breakfast. To prep the tofu, squeeze out extra water then dice or crumble it.
Warmth a teaspoon of impartial oil in a skillet over low-medium warmth. Then toss the tofu with dietary yeast and brown barely. Add chopped veggies like peas, carrots, potatoes, inexperienced beans, limas, and so on.
I additionally add seeds like sesame, poppy and uncooked pumpkin seeds; and herbs and spices like sage, turmeric, rosemary, thyme, dried onion or garlic or salt-free mix. Simmer till flavors blended.
When you’ve got one or two items of fruit, slice and serve alongside for a stupendous and engaging plate. — Jennifer Sabie
Make a Polish beet soup to make use of up your odds and ends
Barszcz Ukraiński, a candy and bitter beet soup with chunky greens, can actually burn up a variety of odds and ends within the fridge. So long as you might have the requisite beets, you may add beans, quite a lot of greens and meat for those who like. Then add vinegar and sugar to style.
Toppings embody leftover boiled or mashed potatoes, laborious boiled eggs, bitter cream or yogurt, chopped herbs (classically dill), meat (classically kielbasa, however use what you want), horseradish, or spicy mustard. Toss the toppings within the sweet-sour soup and revel in. — Courtney Zola
Press your leftovers right into a tacky quesadilla
Flour tortillas keep nice without end within the fridge and are at all times searching for a strategy to get into hassle. Add any combo of meat, like shrimp, and veggies, like charred onions or mushrooms, with shredded cheese. — Paula Stellefson
The story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visible editor is CJ Riculan. We might love to listen to from you. Depart us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or e-mail us at [email protected].
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