Leftovers – discover yesterdays food today

We’ve all looked at the Tupperware box in the fridge filled with the leftovers of last night’s dinner, and shuddered at the idea of heating it up again. That’s why I advocate re-purposing leftovers to make something better! We have several recipes for doing just that with MagicKitchen.com food here: MagicKitchen.com recipes

Below are just a few ideas for taking tired old leftovers and making them into delicious new dishes!

1. 

   Mashed Potatoes: If you have a couple of cups of them, add an egg, some finely diced onions, a little grated cheese, and mix up. Then  make into patties and fry in a little butter until crispy. Or use them to top a Shepherd’s Pie. Create Potato and Salmon cakes, Gnocchi, or Mashed Potato Soup!
   

2. 

   Rice:  There’s the obvious Chicken Fried Rice, or you could go a little more gourmet with Rice Balls with Marinara Sauce, or just beautiful stuffed peppers!

3. Turkey: This is the big one at a certain time of year. Of course we all have our favorite Turkey Soup recipe, and sandwiches are great, but what else can we do with the inevitable turkey leftovers? How about Turkey Chili, Turkey Bolognese, Turkey and Mushroom Casserole, or Turkey-Mushroom Bread Pudding?

4. 

   Seafood: This has to be the hardest leftover to deal with. Unless the seafood was undercooked in the first place, you’re likely to get a rubbery result when reheating. **Shudder**. These leftover recipes should eliminate that problem. Shrimp Couscous Salad,  Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls,  Roasted Red Pepper and Crab Soup or Blackened Fish Tacos will put some zing back into that leftover seafood.

5. 

   Vegetables: Other than potatoes, I’ll lump these all together, because almost any leftover veggie will work in these recipes: Upside-Down Vegetable Cake, Add to an omelet  or fritatta, or i you have a veggie tray of raw vegetables, you can toss them in olive oil and garlic and roast them. Some people suggest saving all your leftover veggies in one container in the freezer. When the container’s full, make a stew, soup or pot pie with the veggies and a little meat.

Melody, MagicKitchen.com blogger