My husband will almost never eat leftovers. Nor will he put them into something he's cooking. I, on the other hand, love leftovers, and will eat them straight up or combine them with other ingredients into something new. It makes me sad to find a small container of moldy leftover food in the back of the refrigerator knowing it could have been turned into something delicious. Here are a few uses to which I've recently put leftovers. Above you can see some leftover Thai coconut curry that was combined with a big bunch of bok choy to make a delicious side dish.
In the bowl, toasted sunflower seeds, green onions, parsley, and shredded carrots were added to leftover rice. A dressing of lemon-tahini made it into a satisfying lunch.
Could this be taco salad? A big mound of mixed greens topped with tortilla chips, leftover beans, smoked provalone (from Artisan Vegan Cheese), and salsa made a great lunch.
Are you wondering what to do with the last slice of your beet loaf? You could toast some corn tortillas on the gas burner until they are crisp (try not to burn them!), spread on the beet loaf, the last of the smoked provalone, and top it with sriracha if you happen to be out of salsa. Tasty tostadas will be your reward. These would be even better with shredded lettuce and olives, but I was clearing out the fridge before going out of town and using up what we had. Still tasted great!
i lOVE leftovers. when i cook i always make way more than i need just so i have a few days of leftovers :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I love knowing lunch is ready.
DeleteThat is so weird - my husband is the same way. I think there are a lot of things that taste better the 2nd day (like bean soups) anyway. Happy Holidays Andrea!
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you, too! My husband doesn't have a problem eating leftovers when I make them into a meal, but he will never use them on his own.
DeleteMaybe call it "extra food" instead of leftovers? :-) I normally eat leftovers, some foods need to be eaten right away like fresh spring rolls, which aren't very good as leftovers. And some foods are even better the next day like lasagna and soup.
ReplyDeleteMy husband will even ignore things like "extra" tomato sauce! He will sometimes eat leftover soup on his own, but not usually. More for me!
DeleteOh yes indeed - leftovers are just the start of another tasty meal, not to mention a handy way to save a few quid! When I'm feeling lazy, lunch one day becomes the next day's breakfast. It might not be traditional, but I do like to start the day with something I know is going to be good. Also, you get the added bonus of certain dishes which get better from being left for a while. Curry for breakfast? Don't mind if I do!
ReplyDeleteI'll happily join you for the breakfast curry. I've had some pretty unconventional things for breakfast. :)
DeleteI love leftovers, too. If we didn't have to work, Mike would barely eat them, but he does take them for his lunch since it's convenient.
ReplyDeleteI also love to concoct different things from them and you really did a great job of that! I especially love the taco salad you made. It sounds fantastic!
Ken never takes them for lunch, either. I lived on leftovers for lunches at my last job. If I didn't have leftovers I was really disappointed.
DeleteI'm a big taco salad/nacho fan these days. :)
my husband is the exact same way. Drives me absolutely crazy. I have to turn leftovers into "something else" in order to sneak them past him.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially weird when he loved the food the night before. But I also try to incorporate things like leftover tomato sauce or vegetables and that never occurs to him when he cooks.
DeleteI, too, love using leftovers. The HH, on the other hand, might eat something more than once a week (ie, leftover), but only if it remains in its original form. In any case, your meals look delish! I've got to try some of those cheeses. :)
ReplyDeletePeople have such interesting food fetishes!
DeleteI also love leftovers, usually just as they are, probably bc my mom's philosophy was "You get what you get and you're lucky to get it." Love your redos! I also blogged about Leftover Makeovers during Vegan Mofo, bc some folks, like your hubster, need the variety. But hey, it's the spice of life, right?!
ReplyDeleteI was trying to remember what my mom did with leftovers but I have no memory of anything ever being left over — I think we were all big eaters. I usually eat my leftovers "straight-up," but when there's not enough of something to do that, I like to make use of it in another dish. I hate waste!
DeleteI live for leftovers! I prefer almost everything the next day (or the day after that...) over how it tastes the first day. More flavor, less work! :-) I'm fortunate, BW loves leftovers too. But I know of several people (all men!!) who refuse to eat leftovers! Is it a Y chromosome thing, or what?! I think we should get a big, fat grant to study this odd phenom. :-)
ReplyDeleteKen doesn't refuse to eat them, he just has an aversion to using them on his own. He'll never use anything up. In fact, if he cooks brussels sprouts, for example, he'll leave a few in the bag.
DeleteThe beet loaf tostadas are brilliant! They look like a tasty lunch even without any lettuce.
ReplyDeleteFinding little containers of moldy leftover food in the back of the fridge causes me pain too!
The tostadas were delish — even though they were pretty spare. I have beetloaf AND lettuce in the fridge, so maybe tomorrow I can do it right!
Delete