Quick and Easy Meal Solutions: How to use up leftovers

One of my mother's most dreaded tasks as the family chef was once weekly chore of cleaning out all the left-over dribs and drabs of dinners past, and turning them into a tasty and attractive meal that, hopefully, no-one would recognize as "left-overs". One of the best lessons I took from her was don't prepare so much food that you are stuck with a lot of odds and ends. The other "best lesson" she taught me was menu planning. By taking the time to plan your meals for a week or even two weeks in advance, you not only save yourself time and energy - and money - at the grocery store, you already know what you will have to deal with in terms of potentially left-over food.

Often, the meals of which I wouldn't mind having some left-overs are often the ones that are cleaned up down to the last crumb - like oven-roasted spare ribs, or fried chicken. Often, if I'm going to be away, I will plan for left-overs by making a big pot of home-made stew, or chili, so there will be a tasty meal ready to be warmed up the next day. I serve both the stew and the chili with fresh-from-the-oven, home-made bannock , which is very much like the baking powder biscuits my granny taught us how to make, so those dinners are always a big hit.

You can make a lovely meal every night, but if the left-overs don't combine well into a new meal, you will end up eating some very strange combinations yourself, or wasting food - and the money it cost you, to say nothing of your time in preparing the original meal.

I remember seeing my mother lunch on a small serving of creamed corn (from Monday's dinner), a fruit nappy of cold, chopped, canned tomatoes (not used up in Tuesday's chili), along with a single serving of wilted salad and a half an apple (from yesterday's supper). Some days she would add a raw onion sandwich, or a cold, mashed potato sandwich, depending on what was left over.

One of my friends at college, during our "starving student" days, solved his leftover problem by inventing a dish he dubbed "scunge." Not the most pleasant name for dinner, but actually quite accurately descriptive of his results, at times. Some of you may know the dish as the more pleasingly named, "clean-the fridge stew", or "clean-the fridge soup", depending on the thickness of your combined ingredients.

Usually, the cook would be somewhat selective in choosing which leftover bits to combine. my friend had no such compunction. He simply took everything still edible out the fridge, simmered it together in his one frying pan until it was heated through, doused it with some ketchup, and consumed it - generally with gusto. He combined a cast-iron constitution with taste buds that would accept almost any flavor, though I use that word flavor advisedly when referring to "scunge."

Neither my friend nor my mother saw anything odd in their desire to "not waste food," and, though I applaud their frugality, I cannot recommend copying their tactics. The real key is in menu planning. By deciding what you will have each meal for a week, you are far better able to plan for using up left-overs in a frugal and tasty fashion.

For example, if you are planning to roast a chicken for dinner one evening, you can chop any leftover chicken and combine it with chopped apples, celery, and walnut (or pecan) halves for a tasty, traditional Waldorf Salad. You can also make open-faced chicken salad sandwiches.

One of our favorites, is pulled chicken wraps. Shred the leftover chicken and reheat it in several large spoons full of mild or medium salsa.

Then simply spread a fresh soft tortilla or pita half with a some mashed avocado seasoned with lime juice and a dash of sea salt, spoon in the shredded, reheated chicken in salsa, and top with shredded lettuce and shredded or crumbled cheese for a fast, kid-friendly lunch.

This work equally well with left over cold pork, but be sure to trim any fat before shredding the meat.

If the package of chops you bought contains six chops, and you only need four for a meal, buy the package anyway. Cook the extra pork chops at the same time, along with half as much rice again as you would normally cook. Reserve the extra chops and rice and save them in the fridge.

The next day for lunch or supper, slice the chops thinly across the grain, and add them to sautéed, chopped or sliced fresh vegetables, such as red, yellow, and green peppers, roll-cut baby carrots, sliced zucchini, and some finely diced jicama or water chestnuts.

Stir in the cold rice, add a dash of soya sauce and some seasonings, and you have just created a delicious fried rice meal in half the time it would normally take, thanks to some judicious planning , and your tasty leftovers. Not only that, but clean-up of this one-pan, on dish meal will be a breeze.

Leftover baked potatoes are delicious when sliced or shredded, then sautéed with some shredded, sharp cheese, and chopped green onions or chives. Leftover mashed potatoes will benefit from the same additions. Gently pat into a non-stick pan and sauté the resulting pancake until the bottom has a golden crust. Turn the potato pancake onto a plate, flipping it over so the bottom-side is up, and enjoy,

Here are a few pointers that may help in your meal planning:

• Consider what foods will go well together as left-overs - some meats and vegetables do not combine nicely. While carrots, turnips, mashed potatoes, and creamed corn are wonderful side dishes, a meal of them all together could leave your family yearning for something green or red.
• When preparing salad, serve it "undressed", and consider keeping any 'watery' vegetables in separate small bowls - vegetables such as tomato wedges, sliced or chopped cucumbers, mandarin orange slices, strawberries, etc. Then each diner can add these to their own plates as they desire.
• Learn the quantities that will serve your family for one meal, and don't cook a lot more than you can comfortably use. Exercise portion control, but, on the other hand, ensure you prepare lots fresh vegetables and fruits.
• Freeze your leftover for later use. (Thanks, Amber Allen for this great suggestion.) As well, label each container clearly with the contents and the date to avoid thawing out the wrong food by accident, or keeping the leftovers too long. Check your containers periodically to prevent 'science experiments' in the freezing compartment.
• Invest in some new recipe books. Try some new dishes, but introduce them gently, and give your family a chance to adjust to the new menu items.
• Look for recipes that reinvent old favorites or use staple items. Spend your time on dishes that are colorful, full of flavor, and have plenty of eye-appeal, but are still easy on your budget.

© 2010 Text by Elle Fredine, All rights reserved