If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. It’s made with pigeon peas, similar to black-eyed peas, coconut milk and spices and sometimes, ham. It’s a very tasty dish. It also turns out that it’s the perfect vehicle for leftovers. I had leftover rice, leftover ham, and leftover veggies hanging around. All I needed was a can of black-eyed peas and some other pantry items and this super quick dish came together for a weeknight meal.

 

If you go to Nassau, you’ll want to be sure to visit Arawak Cay, just outside town, a little group of restaurants also called The Fish Fry. Here you’ll experience native Bahamian food, including fried fish and conch and peas and rice. If you’ve never had peas and rice, it’s not what it sounds like. … Read more →

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the scapes to make a crust for salmon. The scapes are really garlicky if you taste them raw, but they always mellow when you cook them. This was delicious and easy. I made mine on the grill, but you could also do yours in the oven. I just love the super fresh taste the sacpes give this and it saved me from having just boring grilled salmon for dinner!

 

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the … Read more →

Recently I found myself rummaging around for something to make for dinner. I had some salmon fillets to use, but plain grilled salmon didn’t sound exciting. I did have about 1 cup of cooked rice (not enough to serve, but I didn’t want to throw it out) and some feta cheese. So I combined the two and came up with a great crust for my salmon. This would also be great with chicken. You could add some olives to the mix if you liked, or some lemon zest.  If you have fresh herbs hanging around, oregano would be my choice. Leftover couscous would work in this dish also.

 

 

 

Recently I found myself rummaging around for something to make for dinner. I had some salmon fillets to use, but plain grilled salmon didn’t sound exciting. I did have about 1 cup of cooked rice (not enough to serve, but I didn’t want to throw it out) and some feta cheese. So I combined the … Read more →

Fried rice is my great go-to dish for lots of different leftovers. Small amounts of cooked leftover veggies can be used up in this dish as well as unused raw veggies that are lingering in your fridge. You can also add  leftover meat as well as shrimp. It’s a very forgiving dish. Here’s my recipe from a recent night:

2 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups cooked brown rice (you can use any kind of rice)

3 tbsp tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

2 tbsp stir fry sauce

1/4 cup cooked carrots, sliced thinly

2 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped broccoli

2 baby bok choy heads, thinly sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

Scramble the eggs then cook in 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining oil with the onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the rice. Stir and then allow it to cook several minutes, stirring again and again letting it just sit for a few minutes. This allows the rice to brown and gives it some crunch. Add the tamari or soy sauce and stir fry sauce.

The next step is to stir in any uncooked veggies you are using. Let these cook until they soften, then stir in your cooked veggies. Cook until everything is combined and the raw veggies are cooked through. Stir the egg back in and serve.

You can use raw or cooked veggies in this recipe, so it’s great not only for leftovers, but for figuring out what to do with that little bit of a raw vegetable that isn’t enough to feed the whole family with.

Other possible ingredients in this: cooked diced chicken, cooked diced pork, cooked diced beef, cooked or raw shrimp, sliced or chopped zucchini, rutabaga, turnip, parsnip, snow peas, bean sprouts, diced green beans, thinly sliced Napa cabbage,or  thinly sliced mushrooms.

You can also add some grated ginger for some added zing. It’s a very flexible dish, perfect for using up all kinds of things that are lingering in your fridge!

Fried rice is my great go-to dish for lots of different leftovers. Small amounts of cooked leftover veggies can be used up in this dish as well as unused raw veggies that are lingering in your fridge. You can also add  leftover meat as well as shrimp. It’s a very forgiving dish. Here’s my recipe … Read more →

I make ham twice a year. Christmas Eve and Easter. I’m not sure why, except it’s kind of a novelty, smells good, and it does taste great, especially when I baste with pineapple juice and make a brown sugar and Dijon mustard coating! But the end result is I have tons of ham haunting me afterwards. I took the bull by the horns and whipped up this awesome casserole. It was so good I would buy deli ham just to make it again.

Ham, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

2 cups skim milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

2 1/4 cups hot rice (if you use leftover rice, heat it in the microwave)

2 cups broccoli florets (I used raw, but if you have leftover cooked broccoli, you can use that)

1 1/2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

 

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9×9 square inch baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, cooking it for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and mustard and salt and pepper to your taste, and whisk occasionally as it thickens over medium low heat. (Note that you can make this sauce in advance, but be sure to heat it up before you pour it on your casserole.)

Meanwhile, spread the rice on the bottom of the dish. Top with the broccoli, then with the ham. Once the sauce is thick, pour it on top. Sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the breadcrumbs. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 25 minutes until bubbly and browning on the top.

Oh my. This was creamy and comforting and I felt oh so virtuous for using up my leftovers. Everyone loved this, so this is definitely going to be my go-to dish to use up ham from now on!

I make ham twice a year. Christmas Eve and Easter. I’m not sure why, except it’s kind of a novelty, smells good, and it does taste great, especially when I baste with pineapple juice and make a brown sugar and Dijon mustard coating! But the end result is I have tons of ham haunting me … Read more →