Leftovers Transformed

I get tired of eating the same thing for more than a couple nights, so it's easy to let leftovers go bad. However, my thrifty side has been coming out lately, and figuring out how to turn leftovers into a new and interesting meal or snack can actually be kind of fun. My latest trick is using leftover rice from takeout to make fried rice. It's a little salty, a little spicy and uses toasted sesame oil for extra flavor. This isn't really a true "recipe," since the amounts of each ingredient will depend on how much rice you use and your personal preferences. If you want to add some veggies, fry them first before adding the rice.

What are your favorite ways to reinvent leftovers?

Leftover Fried Rice

Ingredients:
cooked rice, completely cooled
toasted sesame oil (unrefined)
Bragg's liquid aminos
sriracha hot sauce or sambal oelek (hot chili paste)

Directions:
Heat some toasted sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cold rice, breaking it up and tossing it to evenly distribute the oil. Continue to toss and stir the rice for a few minutes until rice is hot and sizzling. Add Bragg's liquid aminos and a small amount of sriracha (a little goes a long way!). Toss and stir the rice until the Bragg's and sriracha are evenly incorporated. Serve immediately.

Leftovers Transformed

Beer Bread: 2 Ways

I love a good beer bread! It's super easy to make and tastes great. The flavor of the bread will depend a lot on what type of beer you use. For example, a really hoppy beer like an IPA will impart a slightly bitter aftertaste. Use a light beer for a milder flavor (the only reason I ever buy light beer is for cooking!). If you want to check out the vegan-status of your beer, visit Barnivore.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Beer Bread
Makes 1 large loaf

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons fine-grained sea salt
1 tablespoon natural cane sugar (sucanat)
12 oz. ale
2 tablespoons oil from marinated tomatoes or olive oil
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup vegan cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 400° F. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mix. Gently pour in the beer and oil. Stir together until mixture is nearly combined and add the sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Stir until just combined. Smooth batter into a lightly-oiled 9x5" loaf pan. If using, sprinkle cheese evenly over the top of the loaf. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until loaf sounds hollow when tapped with a knuckle. Immediately remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Allow bread to cool before slicing.


Variation: Cheddar Beer Bread
Use olive oil instead of oil from marinated sun-dried tomatoes. Omit sun-dried tomato and basil, and stir 1/2 cup vegan cheddar-style cheese into batter instead. Top loaf with 1/2 cup cheddar-style vegan cheese before baking. (So you'll need 1 cup of vegan cheddar-style cheese in total.)

Beer Bread: 2 Ways

Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

This year, my New Year's resolution is to write more blog posts, haha. So to kick off 2012, I present Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Greens. I know it's a day late if you're planning to eat them for good luck, but this dish is tasty any time of the year. It's also super quick if you already have cooked black-eyed peas on hand. We like to use spinach, because it's convenient to grab a bag of frozen spinach, and it lacks the bitterness that often comes with collard greens. Other greens such as mustard greens, kale or collard greens would work too. Some of the seasonings are to taste, because hot sauces and liquid smokes can vary in strength and flavor. Just use your best culinary judgement ;-)

Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Greens
Serves 2 as a main dish, or 4-6 as a side dish

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas, or substitute 15 oz. canned
10 oz. frozen spinach, cooked and drained well (or use other cooked greens)
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos
liquid smoke, to taste
chipotle hot sauce, to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cover and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Serve with additional hot sauce if desired.

Smoky Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

Kristin's Zesty Mac 'n' Cheese

I'm addicted to using spices in everything I cook, including mac 'n' cheese. This is my personal favorite way to make mac 'n' cheese -- the perfect bowl of comfort. Cayenne adds some heat, so use your best judgement for how much or add (or omit for a milder sauce).

I use unsweetened Earth Balance soy milk in this recipe, because it's got a great flavor and has a nice, rich texture. And cheddar style Daiya is my cheese of choice. It tastes great and makes the sauce nice and gooey. This recipe is wheat-free and gluten-free if you use a gluten-free pasta, such as rice or quinoa. And it can be easily made soy free by substituting with another vegan milk such as hemp milk or rice milk.

Kristin's Zesty Mac 'n' Cheese
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
8 oz. elbow macaroni, or other short pasta such as fusilli or farfalle
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk, or other unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
a pinch of cayenne powder (adjust to your heat preference)
1 cup shredded cheddar style Daiya
fresh black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Cook package according to package directions. Combine soy milk, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, smoked paprika and cayenne powder in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until nutritional yeast is dissolved. Stir in the Daiya cheese. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. When the pasta is done, drain thoroughly and combine with cheese sauce. Grind fresh black pepper over individual servings.

Kristin's Zesty Mac 'n' Cheese

Rotini and "Meat" Sauce

This is a special dish I created for my husband. TVP is an easy and cheap way to create a "ground meat" for pasta, lasagna and more. TVP needs to be simmered in a broth before using in food, such as one made with not-beef vegan bouillon. However, many bouillon brands are high in sodium, so I like to make my own broth.

Rotini and "Meat" Sauce
Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pasta
1 cup textured vegetable protein (tvp)
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Bragg's liquid aminos
2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika (hot or sweet)
1/8 teaspoon mace
12 oz. marinara sauce (or other tomato-based pasta sauce)
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Combine vegetable broth, liquid aminos, worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and mace in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir in tvp. Lower heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the marinara sauce and heat a few minutes more until sauce is good and hot. Once pasta is done, drain and combine with the sauce. Sprinkle the parsley over individual servings.

Rotini and "Meat" Sauce

Cherry-Pinot Noir Jello

Growing up, I had mixed feelings about jello. I'm not sure if I ever really liked it or not. However, this adult dessert totally hits the spot. Best of all, it's cruelty-free! You can find plant-based jel desserts in most natural foods stores. The cherry / pinot noir combo tastes great but feel free to play around with different flavors of jello and types of wine. A great resource for finding vegan wine (and other booze) is barnivore.

For wine jello shots, double the recipe and pour into shot glasses or other small cups.

Ingredients:
3 oz. package cherry jel dessert, such as Natural Desserts brand
1 cup water
1 cup pinot noir

Directions:
Pour the jel powder into mixing bowl, preferably one with a pour spout. Add the boiling water to the jel powder and stir until powder is dissolved. Add the wine and mix well. Pour the wine into 4 wine glasses. Chill in the refrigerator until set.

Cherry-Pinot Noir Jello

BBQ Sandwiches Two Ways

When I'm feeling lazy and want a quick dinner, barbecue sandwiches are the way to go. Any store-bought sauce will do, but the sandwiches become truly magical when you use homemade sauce tailored to your liking. I recommend my Chipotle BBQ sauce or the customizable recipe at Your Daily Vegan. For a super-easy side, try some oven-roasted corn on the cob from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Update:
Received a reader recommendation for jackfruit BBQ sandwich from Cooking on Skates. As soon as I find jackfruit (I've been looking a while now...), I'm going to try it out!

1st Way: Portobello BBQ Sandwich 
(pictured)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized portobello caps, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
approximately 1/3 cup of barbecue sauce
2 hamburger buns

Directions:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot, add the chopped mushroom and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms have expunged their juices. Stir in barbecue sauce. The mixture will be a little runny from the mushroom liquid, so allow to simmer a couple minutes until thickened. Serve on buns.

 2nd Way: BBQ Smoked Tofu Sandwich
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 pound of hickory-smoked tofu
4 hamburger buns
2/3 cup barbecue sauce (or more to taste)

Directions:
Grate the tofu or pulse it in a food processor to get a "shredded" effect. Combine tofu and barbecue sauce in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat. If tofu mixture seems dry or isn't saucy enough for ya, add extra barbecue sauce to taste. Once tofu mixture is nice and hot, serve on buns.

BBQ Sandwiches Two Ways