Roast Beef and Leftovers

Usually after we have a pot roast there is sufficient left over for a couple of meals. One of them is ROAST BEEF SALAD:

Grind the beef in a meat grinder together with sweet pickles and onion to taste. Then mix in Miracle Whip to taste - makes a tasty sandwich or on crackers.

Next day: OPEN-FACED ROAST BEEF SANDWICHS:

Cut the beef into small pieces and place on bread in a toaster oven.

Make a white sauce:
1 C. Milk
1 heaping T. flour
1 dab of butter

Bring to a boil, when thickened add salt and pepper to taste and put on the bread and beef. Then put narrow strips of cheese on top and toast. When served with a salad these make a good meal.

Make Ahead Cannellini Bean Chicken Bake

Did the "Make Ahead" get your attention?

My camera is broken so I am sorry I cannot show photos because this is a pretty casserole dish. I like this one and with cheese on it, the kids will enjoy it too. My recipe here is an adaptation of a recipe made for me by a friend, written down, made at home, then lost the recipe and now, I work from memory. I have been making it for several years. The original does not call for chicken. You can use leftover vegetables in this one...(there you go Brandi!) and just season it to be more Mexican or more Italian. Flexible. All ingredients are organic if possible although not noted. I think it is funny that people note that because there is not a taste difference but I said it anyway. To "make ahead" just prepare the ingredients into a mixing bowl, cover and refridgerate for hours or up to a day I think, then pour in oiled casserole and bake.

Gather:

• 9 X 13 inch casserole dish
• Cheese grater
• Large mixing bowl if making ahead
• 1 - 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
• 1 med. or 2 small diced onions
• 2 large or 3-4 smallish diced 1/4 " zucchini squash
• 1 large or 2 smallish diced crookneck or yellow squash
• 1 lb. ground chicken, beef or turkey
• 1/2 c. to 1 cup of any chopped green-kale, spinach, chard, etc. (I keep chopped greens that I freeze on a cookie sheet first, then scrape into a Ziploc and label, in the freezer to add to any recipe)
• 10 - 12 oz. of block Mozzarella cheese
• 2 cans or 2+ cups of cannellini beans (the Italian white kidney bean)
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes undrained
• Herbs- oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, thyme
• Sea salt and fresh medium ground pepper

In a medium skillet, saute' the onions until a little translucent. Remove to large mixing bowl or into oiled casserole dish if preparing to eat now. In same skillet, cook the ground meat and minced garlic until done mixing garlic well with meat so it won't burn. Remove into bowl or dish. In same skillet, saute' squashes until a little less firm or if you like them really mushy, saute' longer. Remove to bowl or dish. Add greens to bowl or dish. Add diced cannned tomatoes to bowl/dish. Add rinsed beans and herbs/spices to your liking. (Tonight I used 1 heaping tsp. dried oregano, 2 heaping tsp. dried basil, 1 heaping tsp. dried rosemary, 2 heaping tsp. dried parsley, 1 heaping tsp. thyme, 2 tsp. sea salt and, a dozen twists of ground pepper.)

Top with grated Mozerella cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is not burned but veggies seem done and tender or soft. Tent with foil if cheese getting over done.

Make a salad to go along with it. You can also use different vegetables that you have on hand...if corn, then I would use the squashes but use the spices, cumin, chili powder, garlic and salt and pepper to your liking.

Hope someone likes this one! Thank you for letting me share it...gotta go make our salad now to go with it.

Leftover Help

I am terrible about using leftovers!! Does anyone else have this problem? I keep them around for a few days and then guiltily toss them out. Or I'll defrost a pound of meat, use half, and forget about the other half until it's too late.

I want to work on my meal planning, and be more intentional about finding uses for leftovers and extras. I would love suggestions!

In an effort to improve, this is my meal plan for this week. I'm using the same rice 4 times, the beans twice, chicken 3 times, and mashed potatoes twice. Also splitting a package of ground beef between two meals.

Thursday: Beans, on bread and cheese. Fried potatoes.
Friday: Ratatouille and rice, fried okra (vegetables are from the CSA and my garden, rice is a mix of brown and wild; the ends of two different bags I found in the pantry.) Make lots and lots of rice.
Saturday: Bean burritos (from Thursday's beans, refried) for lunch; dinner out.
Sunday, family lunch: Minestrone, using leftover vegetables from throughout the week. Stuffed peppers with leftover rice, ground beef, and tomatoes from the garden. Mashed potatoes, just because I have a lot. Broiled peaches with whipped cream. Leftovers for dinner.
Monday: Eggplant parmesan (not a regular for me, but I have a LOT of eggplant!)
Tuesday: Fried rice, again with leftover rice. Add squash and bell peppers, maybe some pork and/or shrimp.
Wednesday: Shepherds pie, with mashed potatoes from Sunday and the rest of that package of ground beef.
Thursday: Roast chicken and potatoes.
Friday: Bowtie pasta with Spicy Romano Chicken (chicken from Thursday).
Saturday: Chicken and rice casserole (both leftover).

This list mostly covers dinners; lunch is typically leftovers or sandwiches. This feels good; I like to cook extra and get several uses out of something. And hopefully I won't be throwing much away! I hate that, but yet I find myself doing it ALL THE TIME. I've started pureeing leftovers for baby food as well. (Tonight the kids barely touched their ratatouille, so I just scraped their plates straight into the blender.) He's not quite ready for anything chunky, but they're in the freezer waiting for him.

Here are some other good ways to plan for leftovers:

1. Roast chicken and potatoes. 2. Make broth. 3. Potatoes in breakfast burritos. 4. Chicken in casserole or pot pie. 5. Soup from broth and any leftover meat; throw in leftover vegetables from other meals.

This one's from my mother-in-law: 1. Ham 2. Beans with ham. 3. Chili with beans. 4. Hot dogs with chili.

I never make the exact number of hamburger patties that we need; I always throw in an extra pound (or at least round up) and freeze the extras. Leftover ground beef can also easily go in tacos or pasta sauce.

Other ideas for cooked chicken? Chicken salad. Chicken enchiladas or burritos. Or on top of just about any pasta.

I need more!! How do you use up leftovers? How do you plan your menu to minimize prep work? I want to do more of this, so let's get creative!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello fellow food lovers! Here's another favorite from my kitchen! I LOVE these cookies. It's egg free so it's fun to eat just right out of the bowl while there is a batch in the oven. (honestly, I eat it with egg too...) I'm spending the weekend with Traci and I'm going to make them for her and her fabulous children. They are going to love them...so will you! Make them! Tonight!

3/4 c applesauce
2 T coconut oil
3/4 c maple syrup
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c oats
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 package (or less...or more...I just eyeball it) mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Mix applesauce, oil, syrup and vanilla. Add cinnamon, salt, flour, oats, soda & baking powder. Mix together until "just mixed." Add chocolate chips and mix them in gently. Scoop 2 T sized globs of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I use an iceceam scoop) Bake for 8-10 minutes until the edges of the cookies are golden.
Makes 24 cookies (but they don't last long...)
Enjoy!

Creamy Ham Ziti

I ate this pasta dish at a luncheon today - very good.

CREAMY HAM ZITI
1 pd. Ziti, Penne, orother medium pasta, uncooked
1/2 t. vegetable oil
12 oz. lean ham, cut into bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup non-fat sour cream
1 10 oz. pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 T minced fresh dill
1 T fresh lemon juice
3/4 t hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to pkg. directions. While pasta is cooking, warm oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the ham and red pepper and cook until browned. Meanwhile, puree the sour cream, spinach, milk, mustard, parsley, dill, lemon juice and hot sauce in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Add the puree to the ham. Heat to a simmer.

When pasta is done, drain well. Toss pasta with sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Enchilada Sauce

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 onion chopped
3 T flour
1 T chili powder
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t oregano
dried thyme
black pepper
3 1/2 c chicken broth (or veggie or beef...whatever works best for your enchiladas)
1 t honey
1 t fresh lime juice
1 t salt

In a large pan, saute onion and garlic with a few tablespoons of olive oil until tender. Add flour and dry herbs and spices and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Pour over your favorite enchiladas! Enjoy! It's SOOOOOO good!

Fried Mush

This is not a fancy recipe or anything particularly new but it is a good idea..both frugal and very good for you. It is also fairly quick if you are prepared...especially when those little ones are hungry at your feet. ;-)

I have adapted this recipe from Nourishing Traditions, a whole foods cookbook developed by a chemist and a nutritionist who publish for the Westin A. Price Foundation. If you don't know who Westin A. Price is, please see this video for a brief biography on him and why his research is both important and interesting on traditional food ways.

The recipe:

After soaking organic steel cut oats in warm water and 1 Tbsp plain yogurt or kefir ( the ratio is one cup of grains to one cup of water to one tablespoon kefir/yogurt ) for 12 hours or more, and then cooking and then eating! Why do I soak my grains? In this video explaining soaking grains briefly, you will also get other ideas and a free muffin recipe that I have not yet tried. I did watch it and she puts rapadura sugar in these muffins...yum! Anyway, when you have leftovers of this porridge ( I always make enough for leftovers ) that is what you use for the fried mush.

Mix 1 1/2 cups oats with one egg lightly beaten and fry in iron skillet in butter until crispy or almost crispy. Serve with Cheryl's yummy maple syrup and butter drizzle on top. I could not find it but she posted it on this blog. I do not remember the ratio of syrup to butter...I just eye ball it from making it the first time.

We eat this usually the day after making oatmeal and I love to serve it with oven baked bacon on the side. Yum!