In defense of the doggie bag...

Pay attention to what your body's telling you.

That's one of the pieces of advice I'm trying to employ in my quest for a healthier lifestyle as I transition into late middle youth. And while I'm willing to drink a little lemonade and not so many beers (I'm not a beer fan anyway) and eat a few more salads in my next thirty forty years, I'm NOT willing to give up my passion for good food. So in an effort at portion control, I'm a judicious proponent of the doggie bag when dining out. And since I've NEVER liked leftovers, that forces me out of my comfort and into my creative zone.

Take a recent dinner; a conglomeration of take out and in house leftovers.

I started with about a cup of chirashi rice leftover from lunch at Koji's. Added some chopped onion and leftover steamed asparagus. And kicked it up a notch with a dash of Thai sweet chili sauce. I paired this dish with an egg scrambled with another container of sauteed mixed mushrooms left over from dinner at Bridges. Seasoned with a bit of oregano, a nice foil for my take on "fried rice."

A nourishing, soul-satisfying, virtually no (addional) cost meal.

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Waste not...

Letting you all in on a little secret... I'm not much of a breakfast eater.

Don't get me wrong... I love breakfast FOOD (I love almost ALL food), but if I had my way, my ideal day would start at the crack of noon. Until I was in my mid thirties, breakfast typically consisted of a can of Mountain Dew on my way to school/work. Diet if I was feeling particularly virtuous.

But continuing to enjoy good food as I make the transition into what a colleague calls "late middle youth" requires that I get and keep my (_]_) in gear. Unfortunately my schedule dictates that several of these butt-busting sessions happen in the early morning hours. And since the drama associated with passing out on Lizette mid-workout is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I find myself becoming better acquainted with breakfast.

One of my go-to (translated: "you can sleep an extra 15 minutes because this one takes no time to prepare") pre-workout breakfasts is the humble banana, smeared with a tablespoon of peanut butter. Potassium and protein both seem to fuel my workout, and a little natural sugar gives me an additional energy boost.

The problem? I'm picky about bananas. I like them almost green. If they've gone all the way yellow, they're over-ripe for me. And they cross my line very quickly, so if I'm not very careful this produces a lot of waste.

So I'm always on the lookout for good banana bread and muffin recipes -- a nice alternative to tossing a mushy banana into the blender for a smoothie. And I recently found a GREAT recipe over at Sugar Laws for some mighty yummy Banana Saffron Muffins. Easy to assemble and Katy's right: the saffron adds a subtle but distinct flavor and makes these muffins something special. An added bonus: they freeze well, and tossed in the toaster oven for a minute and then smeared with a bit of peanut butter it's every bit as quick and satisfying as the aforementioned standard.

And anything that affords me a few extra minutes of sleep is a VERY good thing. Just ask anyone who's had the misfortune of scheduling a 6:30 AM conference call with me...

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An impromptu breakfast of champions...

...or an exercise in purging the 'fridge to make room for the onslaught of holiday goodies to come...

Grab the little plastic container with about 3 egg whites in it from the back of the top shelf. Add another little plastic container with a half cup of leftover sauteed mushrooms. And the last handful of the baby spinach leaves that were the base of last night's salad. The little bag of diced red bell pepper down there in the crisper. And the last couple of sprigs of thyme from the aerogarden.

Now let's add a whole egg and a pinch or two of kosher salt so it's not *completely* virtuous.

Toss the empty containers in the dishwasher and the foodstuffs in a saute pan liberally coated with cooking spray, olive oil, butter, or the fat product of your choice. Stir constantly over medium heat until the egg whites are nearly cooked through, or soft scrambled.

Plate and serve with toast and a couple of mandarin oranges.

Yum!

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From the archives...
In 2007 I made a bit of soup for John's bocce buddies.

Fresh flavors

I don't know how people with kids do it. Most evenings it's just me, and after a long day and a longer commute I have a hard enough time putting together a dinner that is both healthy and inspiring. But since one can not subsist on microwave popcorn alone (and one's food blog would certainly suffer if one did), a well-stocked refrigerator, freezer and pantry has become my best friend.

Tonight's dinner started with some pineapple pork sausage I pulled out of the freezer this morning. A couple of handfuls of arugula and some sliced red onion from the CSA box. Another handful of dried cherries leftover from the great brownie experiment. And the last of a bottle of poppyseed salad dressing we picked up during one of our wine tasting adventures last fall.

Fifteen minutes, refrigerator to table with half a strawberry tart for dessert... AND I wasn't embarrassed to admit it to my personal trainer this morning. Score!

Technorati Tags: Food

Why pay $6 at Safeway?

...when leftovers make a sensational lunch?

When Pam announced April's edition of Leftover Tuesday, I knew exactly what my contribution would be.

I've been on a panini kick for the last few weeks, despite their exorbitant retail price. When I whipped up Joe's Cocoa Chili Rubbed Chicken (itself a product of leftovers and pantry staples) last week, I knew that the two leftover breast fillets would make a sensational chicken salad.

I shredded the chicken, sliced up a shallot, added in a handful of dried cranberries and tossed it all with a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Piled the salad on some crusty wheat bread with a couple slices of avocado and a handful of spring greens. Warmed it up on the grill pan and served it with the ubiquitous broccoli salad.

From the archives...
In 2007 I cooked with quinoa to combat cancer.

Technorati Tags: Food | Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Chicken

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle....

Take two pounds of turkey carcai...

Toss in six or seven leftover sweet potatoes...

Oh, and for the heck of it some ravioli remnants...

That's how we spent our Saturday with our friends the D's... resourcefully redeploying leftovers.

John learned how to make stock at a weekend class at the California Culinary Academy... a program they apparently discontinued last spring, so there's no link to provide. The class was a great investment... he's kept us "in stock" of many varieties ever since. And when Thursday's adventure produced several pounds of turkey bones, he knew exactly how to deploy them.

While the stock simmered, we moved to the sweet potatoes. We fell in love with them on our virgin visit to The Counter. So we fired up the deep fryer, pulled out the mandolin and turned to the Internets looking for possible spice combinations. We settled on a slight variation of Kalyn's suggestion, omitting the fennel because I'm not a fan, and substituting a blend of chipotle and paprika for the aleppo since I didn't have any of the latter on hand. The result: mighty close to the target, quite tasty, and definitely worth repeating when we're looking for something that combines comfort food, indulgence and a bit of a twist.

While we roasted turkey parts and fried potatoes, we put the kids to work with the leftover ravioli fixings. With a minimum of instruction, they rolled the pasta, formed and stuffed the ravioli and once again loaded the sink with discarded dishes.

All in all, a productive afternoon.

Technorati Tags: Leftover Tuesday | NaBloPoMo 2007

Parts is parts

Take the skin of two fourteen pound turkeys and slice it into thin strips.

Slice one onion vertically into thin strips.

Toss the above into a saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute until onions caramelize and skin crisps, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The end result: something Daniel calls "grimnace". Great over mashed potatoes. Or scrambled eggs.

Last year Google helped me with ganache.

Technorati Tags: Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Turkey | NaBloPoMo 2007

And for dessert...

What am I going to do with five half-bottles of leftover wine? Make cookies!

Grab a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and stick around until they come out of the oven to see how they taste...

Technorati Tags: NaBloPoMo 2007 | Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Wine

Eat it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, Do Without

One of the advantages of last month's Operation Bug-Begone is an increased awareness of exactly which foodstuffs abound in my pantry. I discovered that in addition to 7 different varieties of flour and 11 separate olive oils, I have nineteen tins of imported Italian tuna, shoved in the corner of a cabinet after Nona Sylvia's last trip to the old country.

So when Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness announced that September's Leftover Tuesdays Edition #8 was a call to rummage through the cabinets, counter top, refrigerator and come up with a creative meal, I knew exactly where my focus would be. A weeknight dinner comprised entirely of leftovers centered around a forgotten pantry item: the tuna panini.

I started with a leftover hunk of kalamata olive bread. Sprinkled it with a little grated asiago. Mixed the tuna with a chopped red onion, olive, and roasted bell peppers. Spread the tuna mixture over the bread and topped it with a wedge of avocado. Ten minutes of prep, two minutes per side on my grill pan with a sandwich press and dinner is served.

I paired it with the last few ounces of a bottle of Pinot Grigio we'd opened over the weekend.

Resources used:
Kalamata Olive Bread from Della Fattoria
Callipo Ventresca (Belly Tuna) in olive oil
Stevenot Winery 2006 Pinot Grigio

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesday | Key Ingredient: Tuna

Resourcefully Re-deploying Resources...

First, I want to thank David for offering me the privilege of hosting episode 6 of Leftover Tuesdays, his event celebrating the underdog in all of our kitchens. I also want to apologize to the participants for the delay in getting the round up out -- it's been a hectic summer around here. And now, without further ado, I bring you this month's collection of leftover masterpieces:

1. Dayna from Vegan Visitor starts us out. Have you got veggies languishing in the back of your crisper? Too hot to cook? Who needs a burger? Head on out to the grill and try her Grilled Veggie Panini.

2. Next up, Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe in Melbourne Australia provides another inventive solution for leftover veggies: turning leftover dumpling stuffing and a carrot bean dip from previous projects into some eye-catching Beetroot Koftas in Carrot Sauce. She goes on to whip up a couple of sides from yet more stockpiled leftovers, and emerges with a "delicious pot luck supper."

3. Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen in London, Ontario Canada offers us a third summer-light vegetarian venue for leftover refried beans with her Egg & Cornmeal Pudding with Refried Beans. No refried beans in the 'fridge? Toss in some mushrooms, grilled corn, roasted peppers, grilled zucchini -- whatever's available in your kitchen or abundant in your garden.

4. Indulging our sweet tooth, Sarina of TriniGourmet in Trinidad delivers these tempting Ginger Trigs -- taking a disappointing recipe for Ginger Squares and adding a bit of her own spicy Carribean flair.

5. Last month's LOT hostess Pam of Project Foodie in Silicon Valley, California checks in, completely revamping leftover grilled chicken into some mouth-watering Chicken and Black Bean Burritos. Pam's goal: a one dish meal that transforms the chicken beyond leftovers. Mission Accomplished.

6. Another bay area neighbor, Tigerfish of Teczcape shares her passion for soba noodles with this alliterative Korean Spicy Seafood Soba. Twenty minutes, fridge to table, using a handful of leftovers and pantry staples. My kind of meal!

7. From Ontario Canada, Megan of What's Cooking brings us breakfast redux, in the form of her scrumptious-looking Belgian Waffle Bread Pudding. This one's worth busting out the waffle maker...

8. Rounding out this month's photographic collection is our fearless founder David of Cooking Chat in Massachusetts, offering an ode to summer's favorite outdoor appliance: the barbeque grill. His recipe: Beef and Bean Burritos assembled from leftover grilled burgers.

9. Pictured in the post below, I took a handful of leftover veggies and cheese and stuffed a baked potato for my contribution.

Those are our entries... now it's your turn. Check out the recipes. Try them out. Let me know what you think. Pick your favorite creative re-application of the lowly leftover and let me know about it. Send me an email to dolores dot ferrero at gmail dot com by Sunday July 15, and I'll post the winner shortly thereafter.

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesdays

A Week Excising Lefotvers...

As we prepare for next week's summer get-away in Salt Lake City, I sigh every time I open the refrigerator. The abundance of summer fruits and vegetables. The cheese, eggs and other dairy products. As much as I'm looking forward to our week away, I don't want to come back to new pets growing in my refrigerator... How will we use everything up before we leave?

Leftovers, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. How appropriate that I'm hosting installment #6 of Leftover Tuesdays -- I've got plenty from which to choose my contribution. Banana-yogurt smoothies, french toast with cherry compote and sliced strawberries, curried chicken salad, roasted root vegetables, cream of broccoli soup, an Asian green bean salad, sausage sandwiches with leftover homemade mustard have all graced my menu over the last several days.

But for my contribution to Leftover Tuesdays #6, I turned to the humble potato for inspiration.

Taking inspiration from Sher at What Did you Eat, I adapted her Poblano-Stuffed Portobellos to use a baked potato left from Saturday's visit to Izzy's Steaks & Chops' new (and apparently still somewhat secret) San Ramon location. I looked at her ingredient list and compared it to the contents of my refrigerator.

Onion? Check.
Baby Spinach? Check.
Rice? Substitute baked potato guts.
Cheddar? Check.
Oh... and some mushrooms... And some roasted corn and zucchini...

So for a 79c additional investment in a poblano pepper, I have Tuesday night's dinner. In addition to the environmental and ethical benefits, this leftover thing is great for my personal economy.

Bottom line, how'd it turn out?

Eons better than that other 79c staple from my college days!

Technorati Tags: Food Blog Event | Leftover Tuesday

Coming Soon -- Leftover Tuesday!

Originally launched by David over at Cooking Chat back in January, Leftover Tuesdays celebrate creative reinterpretation of ingredients lingering in refrigerators around the world: leftovers. I'm honored that David's offered me the opportunity to host the 6th edition on Tuesday June 26.

The rules are fairly simple:

• First, the easy part: have a leftover item on hand as a result of your cooking (or other dining) between Wednesday June 19 and Monday, June 25
• Second, make something new and spectacular with those leftover items and blog about this new creation by Tuesday June 26.
• Third, let me know about it. Send an email with a link to your post, the name of your new creation (and a 100x100 photo if you'd like that included in the roundup). Send your entries to dolores(dot)ferrero(at)gmail(dot)com by Thursday June 28.
  

I will post a round up on or about Sunday July 1. Then we'll vote. Pick a couple of winners in categories to be announced soon.

Looking for ideas or inspiration to get you started? Check out the previous editions:

David's inaugural roundup in January.
Rachel hosts in February.
Megan offers options for every meal in March.
Ceres and Bacchus (what a *great* blog name) reminds us of the financial benefit of toting leftovers to work for lunch during the 4th edition roundup in April.
And Pam of Project Foodie continues the tradition of geographic and culinary diversity in May.

Technorati Tags: Food Blogging Events | Leftover Tuesday