‘Quiche’ Your Leftovers Goodbye: Tri-Tip and Roasted Veggies Quiche

Photo credit: Matt Krupnick

Many dishes that work well together on the dinner table also will taste good together in a quiche. I’ve made quiches with chicken, lamb, beef, fish, sausage, ground meats, all sorts of vegetables, potatoes, noodles and, yes, even meatloaf. I think of this dish as a creamy cross between an omelet and a savory pie. Mmm, pie.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Roast tri-tip and veggies

This particular quiche iteration started as a tri-tip dinner with a group of girlfriends. Sides included roasted broccoli with mushrooms, onions and bell peppers, and we also sampled a cheese plate. After a couple of days of leftovers, I was ready for something new. Here’s what I came up with:

REINCARNATION: Leftover Quiches
2 cups chopped roast (optional; you can leave this out or use other meat)
2 cups chopped veggies (if you’re leaving out the meat, you can use more veggies)
1 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 eggs
1.5 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
2 pie shells, homemade or prepared
salt and pepper
2 cups cheese, chopped (for soft cheese) or shredded (for hard cheese)*

* NOTE: I used equal parts Brie, aged Gouda and Gruyere, but I’ve also enjoyed good results using cheddar, gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, chevre and even feta. When it doubt, start with one cheese and try a bite with the meat and veggies before tossing it all together.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Warm olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, then add chopped meat and veggies and stir to warm for about 1 minute. Add garlic and saute lightly until it releases its scent, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
3) In a bowl, beat eggs into cream or half-and-half. Add salt and pepper to taste, depending on how salted your leftovers are (usually about 1/2 tsp each), and stir to mix.
4) Place half of the leftovers into each of the pie crusts. Pour half of the egg mixture over each to fill. Top each quiche with 1 cup of cheese.
5) Bake 30-40 minutes until filling is set.

I love the versatility of this simple recipe. My current favorite combos include zucchini, sundried tomatoes and chevre; steak, blue cheese, caramelized onions and carrots; ground lamb, mint, cilantro, feta and mushrooms; shredded chicken, green chiles and pepper jack; and crab, tomatoes, avocado and Swiss. Try it with your own leftovers tonight, and please share your favorite combinations here!

Tags: beef, brunch, cheese, eggs, lunch, quiche, roast, roasted veggies, vegetables

The Ultimate Comfort Food: Meatloaf Fried Rice

For me, fried rice is the original leftover-catchall dish. When I was growing up, my family made fried rice often, and we’d throw in all kinds of meats or vegetables. It was invariably delicious! It was one of the first dishes I learned to cook, and I always considered it an especially comforting and simple sort of meal.

ORIGINAL MEAL: Turkey meatloaf with mixed vegetables and rice

Meatloaf is another of my favorite comfort foods. I make it often, and always end up with plenty of leftovers. This week, I decided to test out my longstanding conviction that fried rice works well with just about everything by combining it with meatloaf. Pretty much any meatloaf recipe will work, but here’s one of my favorites:

Turkey, Bacon and Smoked Gouda Meatloaf
1.5 lb. ground turkey (or 1 lb. ground turkey and 0.5 lb. ground lamb)
1 coarsley grated medium red onion
4 slices bacon (or turkey bacon)
1 cup of Guinness or other stout beer
1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)
1 cup smoked Gouda
salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, fry the bacon until crispy, then saute the onion in the bacon grease. Break up the bacon and put it back in the skillet with the onions. Add 1 cup of beer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid has disappeared. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey with the panko, barbecue sauce, garlic, egg, half the smoked Gouda, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and mix well. Add in the bacon and onion and stir until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Roast until cooked through, 45 minutes to an hour. Let the meat rest 10 minutes before serving.

REINCARNATION: Meatloaf fried rice

I had about 2 cups of meatloaf left, along with about 3 cups of various vegetables (caultiflower, broccoli, carrots and green onions) and 5 cups of cooked rice. But it’s OK if you have more or less of these ingredients. This is a very versatile and forgiving recipe, so use what you have and adjust the soy sauces to taste accordingly!

Here’s what I did:

Meatloaf Fried Rice
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 bunch green onions or chives, chopped (my mom always uses a leek instead; sometimes I substitite 3-4 sliced shallots)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups veggies (fresh, steamed, boiled or sauteed will work)
2 cups meatloaf
5 cups rice (it’s OK if you have a bit more or less; use what you have!)
2 tbsp. soy sauce (I used low sodium, but use whatever you have)
1 tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)*
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten (optional)
salt and pepper
chili paste (sambal) or other hot chili sauce, to serve
* Note: You can just use 3 tbsp. regular soy sauce and add 1/4 tsp. of sugar if you don’t have this. Just be careful to use less salt!

In a wok or skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic and veggies, and stir fry until tender. (If the veggies are already cooked, add them after the onions are tender and use only 1 tbsp. oil. If using an uncooked meat instead of meatloaf, add it to the stir fry and cook it now.) Add rice, soy sauces and sesame oil. Mix well. Add meatloaf, breaking it into large chunks with the spatula and tossing it with the rice to combine. Add eggs, if using, and stir them into the rice until cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot with sambal or other chili sauce.

I hope fried rice turns out to be as helpful for using leftovers in your household as it has been in mine!

Tags: fried rice, leftovers, meatloaf, rice, stir fry, vegetables

The Morning After: Turn a Salmon Dinner Into a Crepes Breakfast

ORIGINAL MEAL: Broiled salmon with roasted asparagus

This is one of our favorite dinners: Salmon fillets and asparagus (or other vegetables) brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and broiled for about 10 minutes. The fish usually gets topped with some kind of butter (often it’s butter combined with toasted almonds, garlic, dill and lemon juice; this time, it was a simple lemon-caper butter). It was delicious (thanks, Matt!). But we ended up with way too much.

I’d bought six salmon fillets, intending to make two at a time, but when we took them out of the freezer, the fillets were firmly stuck together. By the time we’d defrosted them enough to pull them apart, we decided it would probably be safer to cook them all than to refreeze them. “We’ll have leftovers!” I rejoiced. And we did. So now what?

I peeked in the fridge for inspiration. We had creme fraiche, green onions, eggs and goat cheese — Cypress Grove’s fabulous Truffle Tremor, to be exact. An omelet, I decided, or better yet … crepes! I’ve always been intimidated by the delicate French dish, seemingly the offspring of an anorexic omelet and an anorexic pancake. Done well, crepes are as thin as a South Indian dosa and as light as a dream. The perfect dish, I thought, to show off my extreme clumsiness.

REINCARNATION: Salmon, green onion and goat cheese crepes

For my first crepe attempt ever, I selected this basic recipe from allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Basic-Crepes/Detail.aspx. The ingredients are likewise basic: flour, eggs, milk, water, salt and butter (all of which I had in the kitchen.)

Here’s how I made the filling:

Half a bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of leftover asparagus (or other veggies), coarsely chopped into 1-inch chunks
6-8 oz. leftover cooked salmon, flaked
6 tbsp. Truffle Tremor, chevre or other goat cheese (most mild cheeses would work fine too)
1 tbsp. butter

Chop the green onions and leftover roasted asparagus; saute both in the butter and set aside. Flake the salmon and warm it in the skillet; set aside. Meanwhile, bring the cheese to room temperature and whip it with a fork to soften. (If using a firmer cheese, grate it instead.)

I got all that ready, melted 1 tablespoon of butter to use to grease the pan for the crepes, then mixed up the crepe batter and got to work. As promised by JENNYC819, who submitted the crepe recipe, the process was quick and easy. I was astounded to realize, later, that I hadn’t lost a single crepe! I, who once managed to tear five tortillas before making a single passable disc; I, who have often stumbled over my own feet — or banged into immovable cabinets — in the kitchen, sending whole batches of batter flying gloriously through the air.

Crepes, it turns out, are easier than I thought. Using a nonstick pan on medium heat, I brushed on a thin coat of melted butter before pouring on the batter. Then I tilted the skillet around to spread the batter thinly, waited until the crepe was brown around the edges and set in the middle, then used a large, thin spatula and a spoon to ease up the edges, wiggle the spatula under the middle of the crepe and flip it over. As each one was finished and safely ensconced on the plate, I carefully spread the cheese on it, threw on the salmon, green onions and asparagus, then rolled it up. (If you’re using grated cheese, just sprinkle some on top of the filling before rolling up the crepe.)

As a finishing touch, I topped the crepes with more green onions and a dollop of creme fraiche. (If you don’t have creme fraiche, you can use sour creme instead or just leave it out.) I made six crepes and was sure we’d have leftovers. We didn’t. This is definitely going to become a new go-to recipe at our place!

The beauty of it is, of course, that these crepes can be filled with all kinds of leftovers. Chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables, fruit … the possibilities are endless. I’m planning to try sweet crepes next. After all, I have some leftover chocolate frosting and strawberries in a balsamic reduction from some cakes I baked earlier this week. It would be a shame if that went to waste!

Tags: asparagus, crepes, salmon, salmon crepes, salmon recipe, salmon recipes

Don’t Fear the Fridge

I look at the pile of groceries sitting on the counter, awaiting their rightful place in the refrigerator, and take a deep breath. This really can’t wait.

Cautiously opening the fridge for the third time in two minutes, I peer mournfully into its depths. Salmon and asparagus left over from last night, rice and chicken tikka masala from two nights ago, spaghetti from who knows when…. I shuffle the contents, Tetris-like, on a desperate hunt for empty spaces where I can stuff a head of lettuce or a container of yogurt. When I consider pulling all the carrots out of their bag so I can slot them into the frig individually, I know it’s time to give up.

The leftovers need to go.

And as I throw them out, holding my breath while I drain the liquefied vegetables into the garbage disposal and throw the moldy Tupperware in the sink to soak, I tell myself — as I always do — that there must be a better way. We need to end this dismal monthly ritual. We need to use more of our leftovers.

The problem is that my husband, Matt, and I love to cook. We scour through countless cookbooks, magazines and websites every month and end up with long lists of recipes to try. So we try them, and enjoy them, and then we forget about them and move on to the next dish. Sure, we try to get the right amount of ingredients so that we don’t have excessive leftovers, but inevitably, at some point, we misjudge.

But last week, as I threw out the odiferous remains of a crab artichoke dip with green chiles, I decided it was time to make a change. It was time to get serious. So I made a vow: We’re going to find ways to use up all of our food, or at least as much of it as possible. We’re going to embrace, not ignore, our lowly leftovers. We’re going to waste less good food, spend less money and make the most out of what we have in our refrigerator.

As part of that pledge, I’m starting this blog, both to keep myself accountable and to exchange ideas with — and, if all goes well, maybe even help — others wallowing in the same leftover mess. I’ll create, collect and test out recipes to help use up the contents of my kitchen, and share what works and what doesn’t.

And I’d love to hear from you: Do you have a favorite leftover recipe to share? Do you have any tips or stories that could help others struggling to conquer their leftovers? Let’s help each other save money and enjoy the food we have. Let’s see if, together, we can turn opening the fridge from a sometimes scary experience into an exciting one.

Tags: cleaning the fridge, cleaning the refrigerator, leftovers, using leftovers, using my leftovers, using your leftovers