It's a new year with a new resolution by the Hubmeister: "Let's try to use up leftover food instead of throwing so much out."
Truth be told, I'm not a leftover kind of gal. I learned to cook from my mom, who prepared large-scale meals for my father and 8 kids. We didn't even owned a pot smaller than a Dutch oven.
So while Lar and I eat well, I am guilty of cooking too much, neatly packaging the leftovers, and then ignoring them until they grow legs and walk away under their own volition.
Last night I decided to see what could be done with what I had:
Empty 2 cups of leftover boxed organic chicken broth into large sauce pan.
Augment with a 1/2 tsp of organic chicken bouillion paste.
Augment with 1/2 tsp of Chinese chili-garlic paste.
Augment with a squoosh of lemongrass paste.
Bring to simmer.
Add 3/4 C of leftover Thai Basmati rice.
Add 3/4 C of leftover cooked French green lentils with carrots.
Add 1/2 package of frozen chinese vegetables, cooked.
Shut off heat.
Add several small pieces of leftover baked halibut. Wait one minute to heat through.
Split between 2 soup bowls and top with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. Serve with a DVD of the Gilmore Girls.
********************
It was perfect. So perfect we're having it again tonight with the remaining leftover leftovers.
This may be the first resolution ever that I might keep.
Truth be told, I'm not a leftover kind of gal. I learned to cook from my mom, who prepared large-scale meals for my father and 8 kids. We didn't even owned a pot smaller than a Dutch oven.
So while Lar and I eat well, I am guilty of cooking too much, neatly packaging the leftovers, and then ignoring them until they grow legs and walk away under their own volition.
Last night I decided to see what could be done with what I had:
Empty 2 cups of leftover boxed organic chicken broth into large sauce pan.
Augment with a 1/2 tsp of organic chicken bouillion paste.
Augment with 1/2 tsp of Chinese chili-garlic paste.
Augment with a squoosh of lemongrass paste.
Bring to simmer.
Add 3/4 C of leftover Thai Basmati rice.
Add 3/4 C of leftover cooked French green lentils with carrots.
Add 1/2 package of frozen chinese vegetables, cooked.
Shut off heat.
Add several small pieces of leftover baked halibut. Wait one minute to heat through.
Split between 2 soup bowls and top with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime. Serve with a DVD of the Gilmore Girls.
********************
It was perfect. So perfect we're having it again tonight with the remaining leftover leftovers.
This may be the first resolution ever that I might keep.