Left-Over Gourmet

Left-over Gourmet is the new buzz word in the Culinary world, a new trend if you must. I absolutely hate throwing away food and with the new craze in the cooking world of using leftovers to create gourmet meals made me think of doing this post. This is not a new concept for me since I have been utilizing left overs for creative cooking ever since I really got into cooking (I left the number of years out on purpose, he he :)

I have been reading more and more articles on this subject and many a food shows have covered it in their recent episodes as well. So what are we really talking about? 

Think juicing beets or celery and using the leftover pulp in addition to fresh ingredients and making veggie burgers. Isn't that super cool. I have done something similar in the past, pull out all the leftover vegetables, lentils and such and make a batter or dough using some chickpea flour, fresh cilantro, chopped onions and green chilies. Make patties and cook on a non-stick pan with a little oil. Use it over a salad or make a pita wrap with lettuce and humus. All those little containers in the fridge got used up and you have a healthy lunch in minutes.

Here is my take on leftovers that don't taste like leftovers and have been transformed into something delectable. In the recipe below I have used all the leftovers except 1 ingredient to make it into something appetizing and it is balanced and super healthy. Hope this gives you ideas for your culinary adventures. 

Left-Over Gourmet Hash

RECIPE: Left-Over Gourmet Hash

Ingredients

Egg Whites: I used the yolks to make custard for a dessert and had the egg whites left over. I can always scramble them and eat them with toast for breakfast but that is predictable and boring.

Stewed Chicken: Left over chicken from a soup broth I made for a friend this past weekend. Shred the chicken and add to the hash.

Lemon: 1/2 a lemon left over from the lemon tea I have in the mornings. It has been sitting by the electric kettle all day and I needed the counter cleaned up.

Quinoa and Brown Rice: I usually have some plain cooked quinoa and brown rice in the fridge. I do rotations with my starch and switch it around every meal to get different nutrients and add variety to my meals.

Mixed Vegetables: Again there is always a medley of vegetables in my refrigerator so chop anything that looks like it has seen better days and use them up.

Barley: This is the only thing I made specifically for the hash. I was in the mood for some nutty, crunchy carbs and I absolutely adore whole Barley.

Spices: I used some garlic flakes, paprika, salt and pepper to add some dimension and flavors. For me, adding red pepper flakes to this takes it up a notch on the delicious-ness meter.

Herbs: Fresh cilantro and chives were my choices today.

Roasted Peanuts: I am never out of roasted peanuts and nuts add another crunch factor to my hash. 

Fruit Salad: The fruit salad bowl is from the last of all the little things left that no one wanted to eat :)

Method: 

1. Saute the egg whites till they are cooked. Add to it the garlic flakes and shredded chicken. Toss in the chopped vegetables, quinoa, brown rice, barley, spices and herbs. Lastly, squeeze lemon juice on top and mix it all up.

That is pretty much it. Makes for a perfect to-go lunch, it is perfectly balanced and rich in lean protein, assorted vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains. Add to it a fruit salad or a yogurt and you have a complete healthy meal. Hope you enjoy creating some of your own left-over gourmet meals. Don't forget to share them with me.

10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss

Hope you are enjoying making these recipes. I have had a lot of fun creating them and for today's dish we have a low-carb, low-fat but rich in protein and nutients recipe. The kids ate Indian stuffed naans for dinner last night and I was in no mood for a carb-rich dinner. So once I had the kids in bed for the night I rummaged  through my fridge to look for what I could make for my own meal. I had been craving meat and veggies after all the vegetarian food I had been eating lately :). I also wanted to keep it low-carb since it was late in the day and I absolutely did NOT want another Salad...

Anyhow, I got Tuna steak from my freezer and found kale and green beans that were almost wilting so they needed to be cooked soon. Let me tell you that some of my best creations have been through these random cravings. Lets get this cooking. I was not planning to document this but I got a few pictures so you will get the picture of what I am talking about.

RECIPE: 10-minute Tuna Veggie Toss
Ingredients
Olive Oil Spray
4-5 Oz Tuna Steak, fresh or frozen cut into cubes chunks
1/2 Onion, chopped into big
1 Cup Kale, chopped
1 Cup Green beans, chopeed into 2" long segments
5-7 Garlic cloves, peeled 
1/4 Cup Marsala wine
Salt to taste
Red peper flakes (optional)
2 tsp Garam Masala, Roasted and ground (how I like it, from scratch)

Method

1. Spray the non stick pan with some Olive oil and throw in the whole garlic cloves. Keep it on hight heat and let them sizzle to a light brown. Add the Onion chunks and cook till caramalized, still on hight heat. Don't let it burn. This should take 3 minutes.
2. Add the marsala wine to get them all glazed and juicy. Reduce heat to medium and add the kale and greenbean. Saute for a couple of minutes till the kale wilts and the green beans are a little soft. I like to keep my veggies crunchy and bright colored. Overcooking not only loses the vibrant color but also depletes the flavor and nutrients.
3. Add the tuna and cook for a couple of minutes. Tuna does not take very long to cook. Overcooking will make it tough and chewy.
4.  Add salt, pepper flakes and garam masala. give it a good toss and there you have a perfect meal that is not a salad.

Onion and Garlic

Garam Masala, roasted and ground

This has been the best meal in a long time and totally hit the spot. Enjoy!!

Bean and Spinach Stew/Soup

This recipe is from a couple of weeks ago when it was raining very hard in Autsin.

It has been raining cats and dogs since yesterday (Jan 24). Flash floods, power outages, tornado warnings and thunder so loud that the windows in my house rattled last night. So this weather calls for a hearty bean soup/stew that will warm and comfort us all. Best part, it is super healthy. This chilli is packed with protein, fiber and nutrients and low on fat as well as calories. This pairs really well with some corn bread. So lets get this baby cooking...

RECIPE: Bean and Spinach Stew
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5oz)

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 can black bean, rinsed & drained

1 can white beans, rinsed & drained

4 cups fat-free low sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

 

Method

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Do not brown garlic.
2. Add spices and tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (2 cans) of beans and 2 ½ cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
3. Place remaining beans and broth in bowl of food processor or in blender. Add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add mixture to stew.
4. Add spinach and heat just until wilted. Stir well and serve hot.

Step-by-step process,

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.

Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Do not brown garlic.

Add spices and tomatoes and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (2 cans) of beans and 2 ½ cups of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.

Place remaining beans and broth in bowl of food processor or in blender. Add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add mixture to stew.

Add spinach and heat just until wilted. Stir well and serve hot.

This is just a perfect meal seved with some corn bread and avocados.

Tandoori Chicken Wrap

The inspiration for this tandoori warp came from a recent visit to a food truck that sold Gyros. So I decided to make my Fusion-Indian version of the famous and delicious Gyro with Tandoori Chicken.

RECIPE: Tandoori Chicken wrap
Ingredients:
Flat bread or Pita bread
For Tandoori chicken:
Tandoori Marinade (to make your own recipe)
1 Lb Chicken breast, boneless and skinless
For Spicy Sauce:
1 Cup Greek Yogurt
1 garlic clove
1  tsp Cumin seeds, roasted
Fresh coriander leaves
1 Serrano pepper
Salt and pepper to tatse
1/2 tsp Paprika
2-3" piece of Cucumber
1 tsp oilve oil
For Caramalized onions:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Large onions, sliced not to thin
Assembly:
Fruit salt or Chaat Masala
Fresh lettucce, chopped
Fresh Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1. Make the Tandoori marinade according to the recipe.
2. For Tandoori chicken: Wash the chicken and mix in with the marinade and let it sit for 2-6 hours.When ready to cook, put them on a baking sheet and bake for 22 minutes at 400 degree F. Make sure you flip them half way through the baking. Now move the rack to the broil position and broil on maximum heat for 5 minutes till the tops brown. Let it cool a little and slice them at an angle.
3. For Caramalized onions: In a frying pan heat the Tbsp of oil and add the sliced onions to it. Let them cook on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes and stir every now and then to distibute the heat and also for them to brown evenly.
4. For Spicy Sauce: Put 1 Cup Greek Yogurt, 1 garlic clove, Fresh coriander leaves, 1 Serrano pepper, Salt and pepper to tatse, 1/2 tsp Paprika, 2-3" piece of Cucumber and a tsp of olive oil in a blender into a coarse sauce.
5. Assembly: Spray some oilve oil in a non stick pan and heat the flatbread till a little crisp. Now on the flatbread, layer the spicy sauce, caramalized onions, tandoori chicken, fruit salt (chaat masala), lettuce, cilantro and drizzle a little spicy sauce on top. Fold the flatbread and secure with a toothpick. Serve with a salad or cucumbers and lemon wedges. 

Step-by-step process,

Make the Tandoori marinade according to the recipe.

For Tandoori chicken: Wash the chicken and mix in with the marinade and let it sit for 2-6 hours.When ready to cook, put them on a baking sheet and bake for 22 minutes at 400 degree F. Make sure you flip them half way through the baking. Now move the rack to the broil position and broil on maximum heat for 5 minutes till the tops brown. Let it cool a little and slice them at an angle.

For Caramalized onions: In a frying pan heat the Tbsp of oil and add the sliced onions to it. Let them cook on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes and stir every now and then to distibute the heat and also for them to brown evenly.

For Spicy Sauce: Put 1 Cup Greek Yogurt, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds, Fresh coriander leaves, 1 Serrano pepper, Salt and pepper to tatse, 1/2 tsp Paprika, 2-3" piece of Cucumber and a tsp of olive oil in a blender into a coarse sauce.

Paparika

Assembly: Spray some oilve oil in a non stick pan and heat the flatbread till a little crisp. Now on the flatbread, layer the spicy sauce, caramalized onions, tandoori chicken, fruit salt (chaat masala), lettuce, cilantro and drizzle a little spicy sauce on top. Fold the flatbread and secure with a toothpick. Serve with a salad or cucumbers and lemon wedges. 

They were delicious with the tender and juicy chicken, the spicy sauce, sweet caramalized onions and the cruncy salad leaves. They had so much flavor but it was not overpowering. The flavors complimented each other very well and that is what I had expected from it. Enjoy making them and let me know how you and your family liked them. I can see this being a staple weekend meal in our household.