More leftovers equal more issues. Not any longer, gentlemen!
What to do with leftovers — these 9 ideas will help you turn old food into gold. Eat your meal prep food even on the fifth day and rejoice!
So, I had planned to do an update on my 30-Day Morning Workout challenge today, but I couldn’t stop thinking about leftovers.
I mean, I have a life.
I’m not sure what it is, but I couldn’t get this topic out of my head for a few days, so I wanted to share how I deal with old food and leftovers.
For those who don’t know, I despise everything about old food.
Meal prep, frozen meals, eating the same thing for days on end…
I can’t take it anymore.
But I also hate wasting food.
As a result, I’m constantly searching for new methods to turn old food into gold.
And after a million years of leftovers, I was able to become a master. The king of leftovers.
I even managed to make a salad out of old French fries once. I ate it on my way to work. Everyone was taken aback, but it wasn’t all that bad. NOT AT ALL.
Here I come, the Nobel Prize.
IF IT HAS BEEN IN THE FRIDGE FOR MORE THAN 5 DAYS, YOU SHOULD NOT EAT IT. Here’s an epiphany I had a few weeks ago.
In June, my father would bring me bags and bags of raspberries.
I don’t know about you, but I adore raspberries.
If I had to pick just two fruits, they would be watermelon and raspberries. That would be fine with me. But I couldn’t eat all of those strawberries.
So many of them, so many of them.
I felt horrible putting them in a smoothie since I didn’t want to freeze them all and because it was too hot for a cheesecake…
So, I discovered that my raspberries had gone bad within one day, even though they were kept in the fridge. Fresh from the garden, then Mould. I’m about to weep.
And then my father said something to me that I had never noticed before.
“Good cuisine is like that,” he said. It should spoil quickly. It must be broken down in your body.”
That final bit…
I knew that, yet I felt OK eating the store-bought apple that had survived on my counter after I returned from a month-long trip.
“THE ORIGINAL MEAL IS NOT AVAILABLE”
Let’s get into what you can do with leftovers now.
This will be particularly useful for those of you who despise meal preparation. Those of you who despise, repeat, despise leftovers.
These tips have helped me tremendously over the years, and they are probably why I am unable to share more recipes on this site — I usually spend the majority of my week dealing with leftovers. But I’m not complaining.
If you meal prep and get tired of eating the same thing every day, these tips will help you make something new and exciting in under 10 minutes!
Let’s reduce food waste while also staying healthy.
Food safety: My grandmother, who lived in a tiny home without a refrigerator, often advised, “If the meat smells, put some onion to it.” It will eliminate the odor.” Well. As revolutionary as this advice was, my grandmother, although a smart lady, was not a food safety expert. Remember to avoid using food that already smells terrible and decomposing. If it contains Mould, there is nothing you can do. If your leftovers are less than 3–5 days old, they are usually safe to consume.
9 WAYS TO USE UP YOUR LEFTOVERS
Also, stop wasting food.
1. PREPARE FRIED RICE
Do you have any leftover rice and chicken? Quinoa with greens? Some wilting cauliflower in your fridge?
Make fried rice in whatever style you choose. Everything else, including the cauliflower, may be riced in a food processor.
You’ll need 2–3 eggs, your favorite oil, soy sauce, or a gluten-free substitute, onions, garlic, and some leftover veggies — carrots, peas, broccoli…
Begin by cooking the eggs, then add the onions and garlic, then the veggies, soy sauce, and grains/cauliflower — It just takes around 10 minutes, and everyone enjoys it. Unrecognizable.
Related Posts:
Fried Millet with Vegetables
Vegetable Fried Bulgur Is Better Than Rice
2. “BURGER PATTIES” CAN BE MADE FROM ANYTHING.
If you have any leftovers, believe me, they can be turned into patties.
what to do with leftovers — 9 delectable recipes for old food I combined the rice with fresh herbs and the leftover curry in this dish. EXTREMELY DELICIOUS AND FRESH. I had no trouble consuming them. All you need to make is combine everything in a food processor, add fresh herbs, garlic, onion, spice, and maybe oats, eggs, or flax eggs to bind, and you’re ready to cook! It’s quite simple, and I’ve made it several times.
3. MAKE EVEN MORE SPICY DIP
If you have a vegan lentil, chickpea, or veggie dish, this is ideal.
Warm it up, add additional spice, and mix till smooth! Adjust the flavor with fresh herbs, garlic, and oil as needed.
I’ve created a variety of hummus recipes, including this one, as well as bean dips. I’m seriously considering turning my lentils into a dip right now.
4. COOK A SOUP
Soups are popular, right? They’re filling, healthy, and help you lose weight, but they’re not a salad. This will vary depending on what you’re working with, but in the past, I’ve made soup out of ANYTHING — grilled chicken, chickpeas, beans, vegetables, quinoa, rice…
You’ll need an onion, spices like turmeric, cumin, or coriander, broth, water, oil, herbs, and vegetables. Begin by softly sautéing the onion with the oil and spices, then add the broth/water and the rest of your ingredients, including any leftovers. I enjoy adding mint to soups, but this is a purely personal preference.
When finished, you can leave the soup as is or blend it.
5. CONVERT OLD SOUP INTO DELICIOUS CURRY
What’s sometimes even better than soup? Curry.
Curry has more flavor and is also very satisfying and fresh.
What I do is take the soup, add 1–2 tbsp curry paste (depending on which one you’re using), some coconut cream, fresh herbs, and possibly some fresh veggies and peas, and then lime leaves!
The use of lime leaves is a GAME CHANGER. Or lemongrass, but I prefer lime leaves. When I add them at the end, the entire meal has a very fresh feel to it.
This isn’t ideal for tomato-based soups, but it should work for most others.
6. WHEN YOU ADD TOMATO SAUCE, EVERYTHING CHANGES.
Okay, so if you have leftover meat, rice, beans, vegetables, or anything else that would benefit from some fresh tomato sauce and basil, go ahead and use it. You won’t be sorry if you add some cheese to it.
The sauce’s ingredients are straightforward: fresh tomato, garlic, and basil. Cook for 1–2 minutes after blending. Then add whatever you have on hand.
This is pretty much what I did with my quinoa, and it became quite popular on Pinterest. If my quinoa can do it, so can anything.
This will not work well with Asian-style leftovers or overly flavored cuisines, in my opinion.
7. PREPARE A STIR FRY
This is also ideal if you just have a few components.
The ingredients are simple: garlic, onions, leftovers, plus fresh vegetables and herbs at the end. Delicious!
8. THE REMAINING “LASAGNA”
Making a casserole dish is another method to use up leftovers. This is not my favorite variety since it means I’ll have a larger supper with the leftovers. But it does work on occasion.
9. MAKE BREAKFAST BAKES/MUFFINS/PANCAKES WITH THE LEFTOVERS
Do you have any overnight oats? Bake into delightful breakfast squares with extra fruit and dry oats, coconut oil, and cinnamon. This would produce something similar to my incredibly quick and wonderful healthy banana bread.
I hope these ideas help you create something wonderful with your leftovers, and if you have any further suggestions, please let me know so I may add them to this list!
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