18

Mar

Using Leftovers to Create Great Salads

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 18-03-2009

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 Using Leftovers to Create Great Salads

 
How many times have you heard someone in your family say this? “I don’t want that for dinner. We just had the same thing last night.” More often than not when it comes to making use of leftovers this is a common occurrence in most households. What happens next? The food stays in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days then it hits the trash. What a waste of good food and money.
 
There’s a way to use those leftovers that’s quick, saves money and will keep the whining and complaining to a minimum. Create a salad. That’s right a salad. How? It’s pretty simple when you think about it. Here are a few salad ideas made with leftovers you can try the next time you’ve got food in the fridge that no one wants to finish off.
 
Take a look at the meat you have from previous meals. That roast beef can be sliced and added to a salad for a hearty lunch. What about pork? Add it to a salad with some sesame seeds and coleslaw for an Asian side dish. 
 
Left over hamburger can be added to a bit of lettuce to make a taco salad. Add tomatoes, cheese, black olives and onion with a little dab of sour cream. Toss in some tortilla chips or use the ingredients to fill a taco salad bowl and you have the perfect taco salad to delight the whole family.
 
What about chicken or turkey leftovers? Don’t throw that carcass in the trash just yet. Remove the meat from the bones. Add some mayonnaise, celery, hard boiled eggs and pickles and you have the perfect lunchtime salad or after school snack.
 
Leftover vegetables always seem to be pushed to the back of the fridge. Nobody wants to eat broccoli, cauliflower, carrots or peas again. Place these items in a salad and watch your family dive right in. Add their favorite dressing and you’ll have a hit on your hands.
 
Leftover fruit can also be made into a yummy fruit salad. Add a few marshmallows, some nuts and a dab of whipped topping and you have the makings of a perfect dessert. 
 
Leftovers can be more of a love than hate relationship with the entire family. By using leftovers to make delicious salads you save time, money and can get one over on even the pickiest leftover eater. Give it a shot and see what great combinations you can come up with to make those leftovers end up in the belly instead of the garbage can.

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01

Feb

Leftover Dinner Magic

Filed Under (Articles) by Webmaster on 01-02-2009

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Leftover Dinner Magic

 

What do you do when a meal is finished?  Most of us wash the dishes and wrap up the leftovers, but what happens to the leftover portions not eaten?  Do they get consumed later or do they sit in the refrigerator until they start to smell and you finally throw them out?  If you tend to do the latter, how about saving some time and money by learning how to use those leftovers in new ways to surprise your family at dinner time.

 

Some people like leftovers and some do not. Still then, many will eat them one day out, but quickly get tired of eating the same thing over and over.  Here’s a way to fix the problem if you or someone in your family is the same way. Let’s start with an example.

 

You prepare a roasted pork loin and rice for dinner one night.  The family wants something else for dinner the following night so the pork loin gets pushed to the back of the refrigerator.  Normally, that’s where it will stay until you clean out the fridge, right?  Not anymore.  Let’s do something to keep that pork loin from going to waste.

 

Eating leftovers the way they were originally served, is probably what’s turning family members off from wanting it again the next night.  Your family doesn’t have to eat the pork loin as is.  So, chop that pork loin up into bite size pieces.  

 

Now you’re probably thinking, ok that’s great, but what do I do with it now?  In a large skillet or wok, stir fry the leftover rice with a bag of frozen veggies, an egg, and some of the chopped pork loin to make pork fried rice. Add a little soy sauce and you’ve got a whole new dinner for your hungry family.

 

This is just one way that leftovers can be turned into a new dish with a new flavor. The same can also be done using chicken, seafood, or beef.  Let’s take a look at beef.

 

If you have hamburgers left from dinner, chop them up until they resemble ground beef again. The meat can be combined with chili powder and taco sauce to make beef tacos.  Or, add some beans, chopped peppers and tomatoes, and sauce to create a pot of chili.  If you have the imagination, there are an unlimited number of possibilities of what you can do with meats and side dishes from a previous night’s dinner.

 

Using a little leftover magic can make one meal last for two, three, or even four more days.  But, you don’t have to eat it all in the same week.  Fix a new meal with the leftovers and freeze it until you are ready to have that particular meat again. On that day, dinner will already be made, all you’ll need to do is heat it up.  Yes, it really can be just that simple.

 

Your family will be amazed at your ability to transform any meal into a new creation they will enjoy.  Besides that, you will save money on your grocery bill and won’t be throwing it away in the trash can as spoiled leftovers.  Try these and similar ideas to expand your family’s palate.

 

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