Eat What You Have

I'm not one of those who gets dietary recommendations from the Bible, but I do think there are many helpful principles in Scripture that relate to our food consumption. For instance, I think we are commanded to be good stewards of the earth; therefore, sustainable growing practices make a lot of sense. We're encouraged to trust the Lord for our provision; therefore, not worrying about our next meal also makes sense (of course, this is much easier said than done!).

There's another principle that my friend Megan and I discuss on a regular basis: eat what you have. Really? you say. Is that in the Bible? In a manner of speaking, yes. It's good stewardship to make good use of what the Lord has provided whether it is food, money, clothing, land, .... There are also several direct examples in the Bible that point to this very thing:

The Lord said to him [Moses], "What is that in your hand?" (Exodus 4:2; not food related, but relevant in principle)

And Elisha said to her [the widow], "What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?" (2 Kings 4:2)

And he [Jesus] said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." (Mark 6:38)

And when they had eaten up their fill, he [Jesus] told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost." (John 6:12)

Does this mean that you're being more spiritual when you eat leftovers? No. More spiritual when you make do with a random box of pasta, some random veggies, and leftover chicken? No. It does mean, though, that you're being creative, being a better steward of your resources, and setting a great example for your children! We waste a lot of time, money, and food in this country these days. I'm just as guilty--running to the store for one or two ingredients for a special recipe (and coming home with lots more ingredients), over planning meals for the week and ending up with lots of leftovers that just get thrown away, over buying in general and ending up with LOTS of food in the house that I could use up.

This summer, I challenge you to eat what you have. Summer schedules tend to be a bit more flexible, so make good use of that time. You may end up with some meals that aren't on the favorites list, but you'd be surprised what you can come up with. Invest in a couple of very basic cookbooks (some of my favorites are How to Cook Everything, Joy of Cooking, and Betty Crocker). These have recipes for things like basic muffin batters you can add to at will, pizza crust you can top with anything, flexible quiche recipes, and lots of substitution possibilities in general. If you're part of a CSA, a gardener, or shop at your farmer's market regularly, then check out Simply in Season for a wealth of simple meal ideas with lots of produce substitutions.

We're looking forward to our CSA season, but I'll confess: sometimes, it's a challenge to eat what's in my hand--or box (um, turnips, beets, and eggplant come quickly to mind!). But I can usually find a way to consume them. (Except for beets: haven't found a way yet… YET). Our favorite flexible meals: salads topped with grilled meats and random fresh veggies, pizza topped with nearly anything--even greens, rice bowls topped with some ethnic specialty, quiche with veggies mixed in, pasta with veggies and pesto, wraps with beans/meat and veggies, pita with hummus and fresh veggies,…. there are LOTS of options.

Cheese Fingers

What a terrific way to use up leftover hamburger buns! I don't know about you, but my preschoolers often prefer their hot dogs without the bun, leaving me with several left over; and most hot dog packages are NOT equal to the number of buns in the bag... why is that??? My grandmother used to make these, then my mom, and now me! (and I'm sure Carrie's done it for her kids)

Hot dog buns
American cheese slices (about 1 slice per bun half)
Pecan halves

Split open hot dog buns. Break cheese in half and lay across bun (overlapping in the middle). Lay on desired # of pecan halves (we like 3-4 per bun half). Toast in toaster oven until cheese melts.

Simple Risotto (and a killer "leftover" variation)

I wouldn't ordinarily make risotto--especially as a side dish--because it involves a bit of work and attention. However, after making the "leftover"variation (see below the main recipe), I'm a total convert. My family devoured it, it was inexpensive, and it's fairly healthy as a main dish; it's also SUPER tasty.

Recipe from How to Cook Everything, 10th ann. edition

• 2 T. butter or olive oil, to taste (I used olive oil)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• large pinch saffron threads (optional--I left out)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio or other short- or medium-grain rice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper*
• 1/2 c. dry white wine or water*
• 4 to 6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• 2 to 4 T. softened butter or extra virgin olive oil*
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

*If you're using homemade, well-seasoned stock, you may need no extra salt and the wine might also be easily left out. Also, depending on whether you skim the fat off of your homemade stock, you might not need the extra butter/oil at the end.

1. Put the 2 tablespoons butter/oil in a large, deep nonstick (or heavy duty stainless) skillet over medium heat. When hot, add onion (and saffron) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy and coated with butter or oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Add a little salt (if needed--see note above) and pepper, then the white wine or water. Stir and let the liquid bubble away.
3. Use a ladle to begin adding the stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring after each addition. When the stock is evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither soupy nor dry. Keep the heat at medium to medium-high and stir frequently.
4. Begin tasting the rice 20 minutes after you add it; you want it to be tender but still with a tiny bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes to reach this stage. When it does, stir in the softened butter or oil and at least 1/2 cup of Parmesan, if using. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve immediately, passing additional Parmesan at the table if you like.

Serves 4-6

Brown Rice Variation
You can buy short-grain brown rice, which you can use in this recipe. You should know, though, that it will need 8+ cups of stock/water and take more than an hour. Tasty, but tedious.

Leftover Variation
Make the Herb Roasted Chicken (whole chicken style) and then make stock that night: throw the carcass in a pot and add a bunch of water. Salt if desired. Let it boil down until you have about 8 cups or so. This will give you a very rich (and very flavorful) stock. Make the risotto above, throwing in 2 cups or so finely chopped leftover chicken with the rice and using the homemade stock. This was so perfectly seasoned for us that we left out the extra cheese (yes, we really did!), and didn't miss the wine or any added salt. Very, very tasty--and such a classy use for leftovers! You could do this with any well-seasoned, homemade chicken stock , but the herb-roasted variation really seemed to go nicely with the idea of risotto.

Uses for Hard-Boiled Eggs

If you dyed Easter eggs, you may be left with a few extra hard-boiled eggs this week. What can you do with them?

1. Eat them! (Several of my friends' children and mine as well LOVE hard-boiled eggs; I do, too!)
2. Peel, chop, and use to garnish a spinach salad.
3. Peel, chop, and make egg salad with them.
4. Peel, chop, and add to tuna salad.
5. Peel, chop, and add to potato salad.
6. Peel, chop, and use to garnish bean-based dishes (especially black beans).
   

Sticky Skins

We first had these at Sticky Fingers (the best BBQ restaurant!!). Anyway, we've recreated them at home lots, using leftover baked potatoes and cooked chicken. It's a very informal creation....

Leftover baked potatoes (I frequently bake a couple of extras when I'm roasting a chicken)
Leftover cooked chicken
BBQ sauce
shredded cheese
sour cream or plain yogurt
bacon bits, optional

Halve potatoes and scoop a fair amount out of the skins, leaving a 1/2-inch thick layer or less. (I feed the potato insides to the kids since they don't like their food mixed or like potato skins). Scoop in some chopped cooked chicken. Top with BBQ sauce. Heat in the oven (something like 350 degrees) until warmed. Sprinkle with cheese and pop back in the oven until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream or plain yogurt and sprinkle with bacon bits. Mmmm...

"Free" Fondue Soup: Two Asian Chicken Soups

We had a lovely little fondue dinner party the other night. I used broth instead of oil for the meat course (homemade chicken broth from chicken backs and wings that were in my freezer). The guests brought the "dippers," so we had a nice variety of meat: pork, chicken, beef, and shrimp. I served an Asian cabbage slaw that guests "dressed" at the plates (the mixture in the bowl was dry) and plain rice plus several Asian-style dipping sauces. The next day, I realized that I had the makings of some yummy Asian soups on hand in the fridge. Here's what I did (you can do this, too, anytime you cook a chicken or chicken parts--think through what you are having for dinner and make extra if you want it for soup the next day).

Saved the broth from the fondue pots

Sauteed some onion, carrots, celery in a little bit of oil. Poured the stock over it (I had two pots going).

In Pot A, I added: chopped cabbage slaw mix (had Napa cabbage, green cabbage, green onions, small bits of bell pepper and carrot), leftover cubed (raw) chicken, crushed garlic, and some salt and pepper. When the chicken was cooked through, I threw in some Ramen noodles (without the seasoning). Ta Da...

In Pot B, I added: more chopped carrots, some frozen peas, leftover cubed (raw) chicken, soy sauce, and some salt and pepper. When the chicken was cooked through, I added some leftover rice. Voila!

Both are yummy: faintly exotic tasting (due to the shrimp from the night before no doubt) and almost free since nearly all the ingredients are leftover. We ate off of them for several days.

Leftovers and Old-Fashioned Cooking

There are some meals that, at the mere thought, take me back to the kitchen table of my childhood: split pea soup, roast beef hash on Jiffy cornbread, cornbread dressing.... And there are a few meals that I have made since starting out on my own that create similar "homey" feelings in my mind. I realized recently that these meals are all made from leftovers. The "30 minutes or less" versions wouldn't cut it, although the meal itself doesn't take too much time to make if you already have the leftovers on hand.

The way so many of us are tempted to cook these days doesn't leave many usable leftovers on hand (unless you want to eat the exact same meal again in the same form). But, when you have leftover roast beef, making roast beef hash is quite straightforward; it tastes even better with the well-seasoned leftover roast beef. Split pea soup is a given in our house every time we have a ham; that ham bone starts me salivating even before we've made the first carving of meat. Cornbread dressing (officially listed as "vegetable of the day" at Cracker Barrel once...) is made best with leftover homemade biscuits and cornbread. We made a cream of turkey and wild rice soup last year with our leftover turkey carcass and resulting stock--and have been waiting to cook another turkey ever since just so we can have that carcass and stock!

When you plan your meals, consider the quick cooking you'll have with some of the leftovers of a more time-consuming meal. It sort of all balances out in the end. I roast a chicken early in the week, make the stock that same night, and then have all sorts of quick meals begun already; the initial work pays off in healthier, cheaper, TASTIER, quicker meals later.

We are cooking our turkey today (having spent our holidays all elsewhere) because... we want those turkey leftovers! Our neighbors are joining us because they, too, haven't had a good plateful of turkey leftovers at their house this year either. We'll eat the obligatory roast turkey today and then...the sky's the limit! Good turkey sandwiches, cream of turkey and wild rice soup, cooked turkey in the freezer waiting to be popped into a casserole or soup. Mmmm.....

Chilaquiles

A great use for leftover corn tortillas (or even tortilla chips) and/or salsa/canned tomatoes. These are kind of like skillet nachos--thrifty Mexican style. Don't let the eggs throw you--you don't notice them in the final product really. You could also add leftover beans--just put them on the chips before you sprinkle the cheese (pintos, black beans, refried beans, etc.).

Original recipe from Extending the Table (notes/variations are mine)

12 5-inch corn tortillas*
1/2 c. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
spicy tomato sauce ** (recipe below)
1 c. mild cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated

1. Tear tortillas in 1-inch strips, then tear each strip in bite-size triangular or square pieces. Heat oil in large skillet (I used a 12-inch skillet). Fry small batches of tortilla pieces until golden brown, 3-5 minutes (took me 4 batches). Drain on paper.
   
2. Remove excess oil from skillet. Saute onions and garlic briefly.
3. Add tortilla pieces to onion/garlic and pour eggs and tomato sauce over top. Cook over low heat 10-15 minutes, stirring as little a possible, until liquid is absorbed and mixture appears fairly dry.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover until cheese melts.

*I think you could use about half a bag of tortilla chips, broken into smaller pieces. Then, you'd skip step 1. Cookbook notes that, if you don't mind a soggier texture, you could also simply stir-fry the tortilla pieces with the onion and garlic if you want to skip the frying (use 4-6 T. oil).

**Spicy Tomato Sauce (you could also puree one cup of stewed tomatoes or salsa instead of this)
Whirl together in blender until smooth:
2 medium tomatoes or 1 c. canned tomatoes
1-2 fresh green chilies or several drops Tabasco pepper sauce or 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. salt

Serves 4

Hard-Boiled Egg Recipes

Do you have leftover Easter eggs that you need to use up? Don't forget these possibilities for using up hard-boiled eggs. (Recipes can be found in most all purpose cookbooks; I'll only link those that are unique).

• Add chopped eggs to spinach salad
• Add chopped eggs to tuna salad
• Egg salad
• Creamed Eggs on Toast
• Deviled/Stuffed Eggs
• Grilled Chicken and Tortellini Salad
• Eat them for breakfast!
  

Leftover Ham

Got ham? Leftovers from Easter, that is? If you're like me, you bought WAY too much ham for the one Easter meal and need some ideas to use up the vast quantities of leftovers. Thankfully, leftover ham goes in lots of kid-friendly (and easy) meals. We'll be eating ham in some form every night this week; hopefully, I've built in enough variation that we won't get tired of it. Below is a list of meal possibilities. I'll post the recipes for our versions as we eat them, but these recipes are common enough that you should be able to round them up from any all purpose cookbook.

• Ham sandwiches (this may sound obvious, but it will make a great light dinner), fruit, veggies and dip
  
• Denver omelets (ham and peppers; ham and scrambled eggs for the kids), toast, and fruit
• Cheesy pasta and ham (you can make any cheesy pasta dish and add ham to it; homemade macaroni and cheese is a logical choice--just add 2 cups of diced ham!), broccoli and sweet potatoes
• Ham and Cheese Quiche (if you can't find a recipe for this, substitute ham and Cheddar cheese for the bacon/Swiss cheese in a Quiche Lorraine recipe; any quiche can be made without a crust if you're wanting to save calories and/or carbs), green or fruit salad, and biscuits
• Split Pea Soup (this is the reason to have ham in the first place! This soup freezes well), crusty rolls and salad