Using Odds and Ends

  I am the first to admit that I hate throwing out anything if it can still be possibly used.  That might be why I save those little bits of vegetables people normally throw out.

I've read where people suggest you throw the bits of carrot and potato peels, pea shells, corn cobs, broccoli stems, mushroom stems, etc into your freezer in a bag until you have enough to make a huge pot of broth.  If you eat meat, you can save your bones and add those.

As far as broth goes, I usually simmer up a pot over the weekend so its ready for the week.  I add two  parts water to one part scraps and allow to simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.  Pour through a cheesecloth to remove whats left and you have a lovely broth to cook with for soup or any other dish that needs broth.

My mother was noted for cleaning the fridge out at the end of the week by throwing any and all left overs into water, cooking until soft and serving as is or blending into a creamy liquid and serving that.  I will be the first to admit some concoctions tasted much better than other concoctions.

I also take broccoli stems, cabbage cores, the last bit of other veggies, cut them up, saute them in a bit of oil, add a bit of broth and cook till soft.  I pour in a half a can of enchilada sauce, sometimes more and heat.  I dip corn tortillas in the other half of the sauce and create layers of tortillas, filling (veggies in sauce), sprinkle cheese and continue till I run out of filling mix.  The top layer is tortillas, sauce, and cheese.  I bake it at 350 till nicely browned. 

I save left over rice and chopped veggies to create fried rice for one.  I've been known to throw left over rice or pasta in my soups.  I also use left over cooked potatoes in soup to help thicken or I make potato cakes.  Sometimes, I mash them and throw them in with the liquid when I make bread. 

I do not limit myself if its only a tsp of something.  I find a place for it in my cooking.  I grew up with a family who tried not to waste anything because money was tight.  I've recently discovered you can use the bean liquid from canned beans to cook with.  I read you can even whip it up and use it as a whipped topping.  I think that is cool.  I haven't tried it yet but its on my list of things to try.

If I loose something in the fridge and it ends up green, I throw it in the compost of dig it directly into the garden so it will break down.  I try not to waste any food. 

I'd love to hear from others on how they use those little odds and ends from cooking in cooking.  Let me know and have a good day.

Thai Kale Salad.

The local farmers market is held Wednesdays and Saturdays with a more craftier version on Sundays. Every other Wednesday the Farmers Market and the Economic Development Corporation sponsors Chef at the Market Place.  This is where a chef from one of the local restaurants comes to share recipes with people who wonder through.  A couple weeks ago, I learned about eating radish greens.

This last Wednesday, one of the chefs from Lemongrass, a local Thai restaurant, came out to share a wonderful kale recipe.  Although you can use meat in it, they made a non - meat version that was fantastic and made us want seconds.  I got permission to share the recipe with all of you. It is easy to make into vegan if you want, just eliminate the fish sauce or use a vegan version.

Thai Kale Salad
1 tblsp Thai chili paste.
1 tblsp fish sauce or soy.
4 tblsp coconut milk.
1 tblsp chili pepper.
1 handful of cilantro.
1 handful of green onion.
1 handful of red onion.
1 handful of kale chopped
shrimp or port shredded (optional)

Boil water, chop and steam kale.  Put cooked Kale in big bowl with cilantro, green onion and red onion.  Mix coconut milk, soy or fish sauce, chili paste, chili pepper.  Pour into kale and mix well by hand.  If you use shrimp or pork, cook the meat first and if its pork, pull a part until shredded.  Add in bowl with kale and onions.

The chef served it with a scoop of rice.  

 This is the set up he used to serve the kale salad.

The finished product

 The kale being cooked before being mixed with all the other ingredients.

Kale being cooked.

 This is on my list of things to make at home.  It was sooooooo good.  Give it a try yourself.

Enchiladas and Eggplant

  The other day, I was trying to figure out what to cook for dinner.  I always look in the fridge to see what is open and needs using.  I found half an eggplant, half a can of enchilada sauce, and a partial bag of grated cheese.

I checked the cupboard for bread crumbs but didn't have any.  I did find some Bisquick. My mind raced through the internal recipe file and you could have seen a light bulb flash over my head.

I poured a bit of sauce into the Bisquick for flavoring, thinned it with water so it would cling to the eggplant slices when I dipped them into the mix.  I do not fry eggplant.  Instead, I put it on a cookie sheet with each piece close to the next and baked it  at 350 for about 25 to 30 minutes until the eggplant slices are getting soft.

At this point, I pulled the cookie sheet out, poured enchilada sauce onto the slices, topped them with a sprinkle of cheese and returned it to the oven to bake until the cheese on top was golden.  I allowed it to cool a bit and then served it to myself and my neighbor.  She loved it.  I really enjoyed it and it made a nice change from the traditional Eggplant Parmesan.

Last night, I made enchiladas but not the traditional ones. I had a bunch of kale, spinach, swiss chard, mushrooms and onions.  I chopped all of these up into small pieces, fried in some walnut oil and finished off with a bit of enchilada sauce.

I make stacked enchiladas so I don't have to roll them.  I put a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan, laid down a softened corn tortilla, added a bit more sauce, the filling, and cheese.  Continue till you've got a stack as tall as you want and put a softened tortilla on top, add sauce and top with cheese.  Bake at 350 till the cheese is nice and brown.

I've gotten to the point, I seldom fill my enchiladas  with "standard" fillings.  I use whatever in the mixture I have handy.  I've made a mushroom, black bean, and corn filling that I adored.  I always enjoy spiced sweet potatoes or a chili - potato mixture with eggs and cheese.  Tonight I might throw together zucchini, red peppers (sweet), mushrooms with a few greens.

I just love trying out different combinations to see how it works out.  I'm wondering about feta cheese, beans, rice and olives?  In a sense cooking is like playing, you get to try a variety of different flavors and have fun.