Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Pork Medallions into Pork Fried Rice

Earlier this week we had oven baked pork medallions and black beans and rice for dinner.  The pork medallions were simply seasoned with a little salt and pepper and baked in the oven till cooked through--a much healthier way to cook pork and it still came out juicy!  We had one pork medallion leftover (cut up into chunks it came out to 1 cup), so two days later I decided to make pork fried rice instead of re-heating the pork for dinner.  The best thing about fried rice is you can really put into it anything you have leftover and on-hand, just make sure you have soy sauce, ground ginger, and brown rice (leftover brown rice would be great too).

In the picture below, you'll notice the sushi rolls, which were leftover from going out to dinner the night before! Talk about a serious leftover meal! And, of course, our reusable bamboo chopsticks...part of the To-Go Ware bamboo utensil set.

Below is the very adaptable recipe for pork fried rice. Makes about 2 servings.

Ingredients:
*use organic and local where possible

• 2 cups cooked brown rice (1 cup uncooked if you don't have leftovers)
• 1 cup leftover pork medallions, cut into chunks
• 1-1/2 cup leftover veggies (I had onions, celery, and mushrooms on hand)
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tbs green onion, chopped (optional, but I had a little frozen)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbs + 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Cook rice if you don't have any leftover.
2. While rice is cooking, saute minced garlic and veggies on a skillet with olive oil. Once the veggies are cooked through, set them aside in a bowl.
3. In the same skillet, coat the pan with a little olive oil.  Whisk your egg, add it to the heated pan, and scramble. Once cooked, add to the bowl of veggies.
4. When the rice is ready, add veggies, egg, green onion, ginger, and soy sauce to the pot of rice. Stir to combine.  For extra moisture, add a little more olive oil to the rice!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Steamed Broccoli turned Broccoli Cheddar Bites

Another great leftover steamed broccoli recipe! The same day I made my Broccoli Parmesan Fritters, I made another batch of these Broccoli Cheddar Bites.  We had A LOT of leftover broccoli at my parent's house from the previous week. And by giving leftover steamed broccoli a makeover, all the broccoli was gone in one meal (it was a little over a pound of broccoli).  It would have likely gone to waste had I not come to the rescue!  These bites look almost the same as the fritters, but they are baked in the oven and taste completely different.  Again, ingredients are most likely in your pantry already--except for the cheddar cheese.

Fresh out of the oven!

Ready to devour...

As mentioned with previous Makeover recipes, the ingredients can be adjusted and changed based on how many leftovers you have and what you have on hand!

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible

• 2 cups steamed leftover steamed broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used a mild white cheddar)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs (I didn't have Italian breadcrumbs on hand, but I had a little bit of plain breadcrumbs available. I did a slight mixture of breadcrumbs and unbleached all-purpose flour to reach 1/3 cup...the bites came out more than fine.  I also added Italian seasoning for the "Italian" part)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
3. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. 
4. With your hand, form small patties and line them on the parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven (depending on how crispy you want these bites). After 15 minutes of baking, flip the bites and continue baking.

Looking forward to the next leftovers makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Cooked Chicken Breast turned Fruity Curry Chicken Salad

Growing up, weeknight dinners usually consisted of some sort of chicken variation, so leftover chicken was always sitting in the fridge. The great thing about chicken leftovers is that it makes for great chicken salads! Below is my recipe for Fruity Curry Chicken Salad. My mom drools over a great chicken salad, and this is by far her favorite!  It's easy to modify based on the ingredients you have on hand...and yes, you will likely have almost all the ingredients this recipe calls for.  The key is to at least have leftover chicken and curry powder.  I've also made this so many times and used all types of seasoned leftover chicken. It's all good :)

The quantities below can be modified, of course!

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible

• About a pound of leftover chicken, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 golden delicious apple, peeled, cored, and diced (I've used other varieties and it's just as good)
• 1/2 cup raisins or craisins (or both! I used both in my last batch)
• 1/2 cup seedless grames, halved (didn't have them last time and it was still delicious)
• black pepper and salt to taste (this depends on the chicken...if it's already salty enough, definitely skip this step)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder (I always guesstimate on this amount and just taste as I go)
• 3/4 cup light mayo or less depending on the consistency you like (I've never tried plain yogurt, but I can imagine it's great!)
• handful of swiss cheese (optional, but added it this last go around and it was a hit)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. For best flavor, let the chicken salad sit over night, but if you're hungry, DIG IN!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah

Extreme Makeover: Leftovers Edition ~ Steamed Broccoli turned Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

Leftover steamed broccoli always brings about the makeover maniac in me! The first time you cook broccoli it's great, but steaming it again is a makeover-faux-pas in my book.  Tends to overcook and smell up the house, right?

Instead, broccoli can be made into so many great new recipes, and simple ones at that (I like to keep it simple, ALWAYS).  Today, I am sharing with you  my Broccoli Parmesan Fritters recipe.  It calls for ingredients found in everyone's kitchen....all the time!  All you need is leftover broccoli, but I'm assuming that's why you stopped by this post.

Ingredients:
*choose organic and local where possible of course!

• 3 cups leftover steamed broccoli, chopped
• 1 large organic egg
• 1/2 cup un-bleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, chopped (this may be the one ingredient you need to go out and get, but if you don't have an onion on hand, it won't ruin the fritters!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
• A pinch of red pepper flakes (I like it spicy, so my pinch is usually a mini-grab)
• Black pepper to taste
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Place chopped broccoli in a large mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg. Then add all the rest of the ingredients and combine.
3. Add the mixture in #2 to the big bowl of broccoli.  Stir to combine and mash the broccoli, but not too much! You still want some chunks of broccoli in there, but the mashing allows the fritters to stick a little better.
4. Heat a stainless steel skillet over low/medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add heaping tablespoons of the broccoli mixture to the pan and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. Fry fritters on 2-3 minutes on each side (or at least until browned and a tad bit crispy). Repeat with the rest of the mixture!

These were so delicious, and if you have fussy-broccoli eaters, I think these may do the trick!

Looking forward to the next makeover,

Hannah