I made a big batch of ham and veggie soup Sunday and figured we were good for at least 3 nights of supper. Well SOMEBODY didn’t want soup for supper last night and so I am thinking what the heck will I fix now? And then it hit me! I had leftovers from a THRIVE class/party and from dinner at my daughter’s house one night. Put it all together and what do you get? Nachos de Sobras (leftovers). It was a filling and tasty meal and perfect to have while watching the election results. SOMEBODY even commented on how good it was. Really? Leftovers? Yes, really. Que rico!
The other day my husband mentioned, in passing, that our daughter and her family were coming over that evening. I had no plans for supper and no time to go to the store so I threw this dish together “on the fly.” It’s not super amazing or anything, but it was tasty and filling and I was able to feed the 6 of us–which included my two grandsons, ages 4 and 2–from items I had at home. Don’t you love throwing things together and having them magically turn into a meal?
Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
rotisserie chicken (left over from a previous meal)
Colby Jack Cheese
Salsa Verde (Herdez is a great brand, in the Hispanic Food section of your grocery store)
Purple bell peppers (we picked these up at a local farmers’ market and I thought they would be a fun garnish)
1. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cover bottom of dish with 6 corn tortillas, chop or chunk the chicken and spread over the tortillas, spoon desired amount of salsa over top, and sprinkle with about half a cup or more of cheese. Repeat layers one more time and sprinkle with purple bell pepper strips.
3. Bake 30 minutes at 350 F., or until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy on the edges.
I served this with a big bowl of cut up watermelon, stir-fried zucchini with Mediterranean seasoning, and a Roasted Corn Blend that I found at Sam’s in the frozen vegetable section. I stir-fried that with some olive oil. Yummy.
Chicken and dumplings. Super simple, super yummy, ultimate comfort food. My daughter LOVES chicken and dumplings. I often use leftover roast chicken or frozen chicken thighs. I boil the chicken and thighs in some water and then strain the liquid, remove the meat from the bones and use the liquid and the meat.
Chicken and Dumplings
6-8 Chicken thighs (can use frozen) Olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3-4 carrots, diced 2-3 stalks celery, diced 2 cloves garlic 8 C. chicken stock 1/2-1 tsp. dried basil 1/2 tsp. dried thyme cracked pepper salt to taste
Dumplings 1 1/2 C. flour 2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt 3 Tbsp. shortening 3/4 C. milk
Place the chicken thighs in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer until chicken is done. Remove thighs to a cutting board. Drain liquid. Dry out the pot.
Pour a small amount of olive oil in the pot, heat over med. heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir til veggies start to soften, about 5-8 mins. Add the garlic, stir til fragrant. Then pour in the chicken stock.
Pick the meat from the chicken thighs and add it back to the pot. Stir in the dried herbs and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Note: if your soup looks thick, add more liquid. The dumplings really thicken up the soup, so err on the side of more liquid than you think you need.)
Bring the soup to a boil. While it is coming to a boil, make the dumpling mixture by placing the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the shortening and pulse til blended. With the machine running, add the milk til is just comes together.
With the soup boiling, drop in the dumpling mixture by spoonfuls. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Reduce heat slightly. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.
I found this recipe on Allrecipes a few years back. It is one of our favorites and a great way to use up turkey leftovers. As I have said before, I tend to be a home made pie crust snob, but when it comes down to it, buying store bought pie dough just makes things so much easier.
Turkey Pot Pie
1 recipefor a double crust pie 4 tablespoonsbutter, divided 1 smallonion, minced 2 stalkscelery, chopped 2carrots, diced 3 tablespoonsdried parsley 1 teaspoondried oregano (or any other dried herbs. I use thyme and basil sometimes.) salt and pepper to taste 2 cubeschicken bouillon (or equivalent of chicken base or stock, etc.) 2 cupswater 2potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 1/2 cupscubed cooked turkey 3 tablespoonsall-purpose flour 1/2 cupmilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Roll out bottom pie crust, press into a 10 inch pie pan, and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, carrots, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the vegetables are soft. Stir in the bouillon and water. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the potatoes, and cook until tender but still firm.
In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the turkey and flour. Add the milk, and heat through. Stir the turkey mixture into the vegetable mixture, and cook until thickened. Cool slightly, then pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Roll out the top crust, and place on top of filling. Flute edges, and make 4 slits in the top crust to let out steam.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
My friend, Saren, posted a recipe for Southwestern Pizza that got me motivated to throw one together myself. She just used ingredients she had on hand and that is pretty much what I did except I did pick up some black beans and Queso Fresco at the store since I had to go anyway. This is a great, easy, quick dinner and pretty healthy as well. You can find Saren’s recipe HERE, but I will show you what I used to make mine. Enjoy!
Ingredients: Tomato sauce Cholula sauce Minced garlic Green chilies, chopped Black beans, drained well Canned corn, drained well Green bell pepper, chopped Jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin Pulled pork (because I had some left over from supper earlier in the week) Queso Fresco Onion Salt, to taste Salt, to taste (balance with the onion salt Crescent Roll Dough (you can use homemade or ready-made pizza dough, pita bread, whatever…) 1. Open 2 cans of Crescent Rolls. Keep the dough together for the eight rolls in the first can. Spread out on your pizza stone or rectangular cookie sheet. Pinch the dough together at the perforations to form one crust. Take half of the second can and add to the dough you have already formed, so that you have a pan-size pizza.
2. Mix tomato sauce, Cholula Sauce, and minced garlic (I would have used salsa instead, but we were out). Spread evenly over dough.
3. Add all of your toppings in layers, as desired. Top with the cheese.
4. Sprinkle with salt and onion salt.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until dough is done in middle. Watch your exposed crust so it doesn’t get too brown.
Source: Original recipe idea from Saren Loosli, Five Kids in Five Years.
When I make rice, I love to make a big batch and reuse it in other meals. But after a while, rice can get boring. And I hate boring leftovers because that means they don’t get eaten. (Perhaps I am some sort of kitchen nerd but I have to tell you that eating up every last bite of leftover anything gives me a thrill!) This recipe has come in handy numerous times when I’ve caught myself staring into the fridge at a container of rice and wondering, “What the heck am I gonna do with all this rice?” Added bonus: no added sugar!
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups leftover cooked brown rice (white or brown) 2 cups buttermilk* 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour (white, whole wheat, or combo)
1. In a blender, combine rice and 1/2 cup of the buttermilk. Pulse several times, scrape down sides. Repeat several times until rice is in tiny bits. 2. Add remaining buttermilk, salt, baking soda, and eggs. Blend until thoroughly combined. Pour into mixing bowl. 3. Add flour and whisk just until the flour is incorporated. Pour by scant 1/4-cupfuls onto hot griddle. Turn pancakes over when the top is covered in bubbles and the edges are no longer shiny. Once flipped over, cook until the underside is golden brown.
*If you don’t have buttermilk: pour 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar into a 2-cup measure and fill with milk to the 2-cup line. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before using.
