Posts tagged Repurposing Leftovers
Latin Mac and Cheese
May 2nd
Recipe: Latin Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- Tomatillo Sauce
- 4 tomatillos – washed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bunch cilantro
- salt and pepper – to taste
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 3 cups Left over mac n cheese
- 1 nice cut of steak – chopped into 1/2″ cubes
- 3-4 tbs oil
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1/2 habanero chili – minced – wash your hands and don’t touch anything sensitive – only a joke till you do it.
- 1 cup grape tomatoes – halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- First create the tomatillo sauce. Place tomatillos, 2 garlic cloves, 1 bunch cilantro, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth.
- Place pan over medium heat. Add oil to pan, when oil is hot add the onion. After 4 minutes add the habanero. Cook until onions are translucent and tender – then add the steak and cook for 2 minutes, then add mac n cheese and garlic. Break up the mac n cheese into small pieces – it’ll be clumped together from being in the refrigerator. When the mac n cheese is fully broken up add the 1/2 cup of tomatillo sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 more minutes, then take off the heat. Add grape tomatoes and 1 bunch of chopped cilantro and mix really well. Now place everything in the pan into a baking dish and place in oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes – until it’s bubbly and looks irresistible.
- Now serve and enjoy.
Cooking time (duration): 60
Meal type: dinner
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Buffalo Wings Risotto
Dec 16th
Recipe: Buffalo Wing Risotto
Summary: Delicious re-use of buffalo chicken wings
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove – crushed
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 4 tsp. red curry paste
- 4 tbs. buffalo wing sauce
- 6-8 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic red chili sauce
- pepper – to taste
- salt – to taste
- 3 tbs. vegetable oil
- 3 tbs. butter
- 1-2 cups chopped buffalo wings
- 1/4 cup onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 2 cups risotto
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 1 cup zucchini – finely chopped
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place chicken broth, dijon mustard, red curry paste, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce, garlic red chili sauce, garlic, pepper, buffalo chicken sauce in sauce pan over medium heat.
- In large soup pan heat oil, when oil is hot add the chopped buffalo chicken. Cook for 5 mintes. Add 1/4 cup of mirin, 1/4 cup ponzu sauce and 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Cook for 5 minutes. Scoop into bowl and set aside for later.
- In same pan that chicken was cooked in add 2 strips of bacon. Wait for fat to render – about 5 minutes. Place bacon in bowl with chicken for later.
- Add 2 tbs butter, when butter is melted add onion and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add rice, stir. Add 1/4 cup mirin and cook till reduced. Start adding 1/2 cup of hot broth at a time. Cook and stir constantly until broth is gone, then add another 1/2 cup. Continue until the rice tastes close to done (note: it goes from not done to done pretty quickly – so pay attention).
- In small saute pan with oil and 1 tbs butter – add zucchini, 1 tsp red curry paste and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes and set aside.
- When the rice is almost ready to eat, add the chicken zucchini, bacon and parmesan. Continue stirring and adding 1/2 cup broth at a time – until it’s ready to eat.
- Place risotto in bowls and top with grated parmesan and pepper.
Cooking time (duration): 45
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Buffalo Wing Stir Fry
Dec 10th
Recipe: Buffalo Wing Stir Fry
Summary: Great way to re-use buffalo wings
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (white, brown, mixed – whatever you like – any grain will do)
- 1-3 tbs – chili garlic sauce
- 1/4-1/2 tsp premium fish sauce
- 6 tbs – ponzu sauce mirin
- 6-8 chicken wings
- 1/8-1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 bottle of beer – I used Corona
- 1 large tomato – chopped
- 6 large basil leaves – chopped finely
- 1 onion – chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper – chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – finely minced
- 1 medium sized zucchini – chopped
- 5 tbs vegetable oil
- 4-7 tbs butter (modify based on your love of butter)
Instructions
- Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil and butter. When butter is melted add onion and bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add 3 tbs ponzu, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce and a pinch of pepper and onions. Cook until onions have softened. Spoon onions and peppers into a bowl for later.
- Place wok or skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil. When hot – add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add beer, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce, 3 tbs ponzu sauce and 1/4-1/2 tsp fish sauce. Cook until the liquids have reduced to about 1/4 cup.
- Add zucchini. Cook until the zucchini tastes al-dente but delicious to you.
- Add the onion and garlic from the bowl – mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and mix over heat for 1 minute.
- Take off the heat. Plate it. I use bowls to place the rice on the plates – because you can leave the bowl on to keep it hot while you make a sauce.
- Place skillet used to cook the buffalo chicken on high heat.
- Add mirin, 1 tbs chili garlic sauce. Stir furiously as the mirin boils off. After 2 minutes of having the mirin furiously boil. Add 2 tbs butter. Continue stiring furiously. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock. Continue to let the liquid boil off. When the liquid is holding to the spatula or spoon and looks like molasses take it off the heat.
- Add chopped tomato and basil on top off the rice and plate.
- Spoon the mirin sauce over the rice and on the edge of the plate (to allow people to dip their rice into the sauce).
Quick Notes
I was surprised it tasted as good as it did. Play with proportions based on how spicy, salty, sweet you like your food.
Variations
Try substituting rice with millet, quinoa or couscous.
Cooking time (duration): 40
Number of servings (yield): 3
Meal type: dinner
Microformatting by hRecipe.