Leftovers? What leftovers??

My husband was spoiled as a child. His mother cooked every day, and he never ate anything that was not cooked the same day (maybe because refrigeration was not available in the countryside where he lived at the time?). I, on the other hand, grew up in a house where my mother worked and traveled a lot, and she had a cook who came twice a week, which means that for 5 days a week we were used to reheat our meals. The leftovers were usually the meal of the last day of the week, before the cook would come back with new and fresh meals for the following week. So when I first tried to reheat some leftovers, my husband looked at me almost in disbelief and without saying a word, reached for the cheese.

I had to learn then how to cook only the quantities we need, also which foods can be frozen, with no "side effects" or "after taste"; and most importantly how to "redraft" a previously cooked meal!! I had some setbacks of course, when he realized that this dish was on the table in another form, but all in all the success was undeniable. So here are some ideas.

CURRIED CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

                                                

I just came up with this recipe today! I had some boiled chicken from yesterday, and some small pasta that for some reason I cooked in excess, I needed only 2 cups, but somehow cooked more. So what should I do with them? I don't like to leave leftovers for a long time in the refrigerator, because they end up thrown away, and I really hate that. So I decided to combine them in a delicious salad, using some ingredients that I know my mother liked when we had the Moroccan style chicken three weeks ago, and whatever I had on hand in the kitchen. So, if you like the idea, here's what you'll need:

2 cooked half chicken breasts

2 cups cooked small pasta (I used elbows)

4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

A handful of baby carrots, or 2 medium carrots

4 scallions thinly sliced, white part and a little green

1 cup mayo

2 tbsp mustard

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp curry powder

2 tsp mango chutney

A handful of raisins

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken breasts in small cubes, thinly slice the scallions and the celery. Put everything in a large bowl with the cooked pasta. If you are using baby carrots chop them in the food processor and add them to the bowl. If you have regular carrots use a grater to grate them (watch you hands while doing so). In the food processor combine the mayo, mustard, the mango chutney and the vinegar. Pulsate to combine. Sprinkle the curry powder over the ingredients in the bowl, then fold in the sauce. Mix well to coat. Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper. Remember some of the ingredients have salt, so add the salt at the very end. Sprinkle the raisins and mix again. You can refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes so that it absorbs all the flavors. Serve with some tortilla chips.

 RICE WITH ALL THE WORKS

                                                     

How many times you had to throw away leftover Chinese rice? I know, I've been there and I hated it. I always ask the take out operator not to put too much rice, since we usually order some other dishes that can replace it, but to no avail. I keep the extra rice in the refrigerator hoping to be able to serve it somehow, but many times I am forced to throw it away. And this really hurts, especially that we live in a world where these cups of rice can make a huge difference in someone else's life. So I came up with a recipe that uses this unwanted rice. You'll need:

1 or more rice containers (if more than 1 1/2 you'll have to adjust the quantities of the other ingredients)

1 1/2 cups of sliced white button mushrooms

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1/2 bunch dill, chopped

1 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a non-stick skillet heat the oil, and cook the onion mixture until tender. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the chopped herbs, and stir. In a bowl separate the rice with your fingertips to make sure that you don't get a big lump of rice. When the veggies are fragrant, add the rice, lower the heat, and stir to mix and heat the rice throughout. Remember the rice is already cooked and it only needs to be incorporated in the mixture that you cooked and reheated. Serve as a side dish.