You’ve served your guests and family a delicious barbequed or roast chicken dinner but there are leftovers to use up. How about a hearty chicken vegetable soup to make use of every nutritious piece?
Here’s the ingredients you’ll need, and you probably have them all in your refrigerator or on your pantry shelves.
- Onion, chopped
- Celery, chopped
- Carrot, diced
- Rice or macaroni
- Bay leaf
- Kernel corn
- Tomatoes, can
- Black or navy beans, can
- Salt
- Water
Tear off the breast meat and any other that’s clinging to bones. Set aside. In a large pot, place the bones and onion, celery, a bay leaf, and carrots. Add salt and pepper and enough water to cover, then bring to a boil. Simmer for three or four hours, then cool and strain, making a lovely stock. Discard bones and vegetables. Add fresh vegetables to the stock, including a can or a cup of frozen kernel corn, tomatoes, and navy or black beans. Other vegetables such as diced carrots and potatoes may also be added. Shred the chicken meat that you reserved earlier and add five minutes before it’s done. Serves eight and freezes well.
Even well-seasoned cooks have trouble finding ways to use up that lovely roast beef that’s left after the Sunday dinner. You can only have roast beef sandwiches occasionally! Here’s a casserole that’s sure to please.
- 2 c shredded cooked beef
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp sugar
- 3 tsp dry sherry (optional)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 6 tbsp oil
- 2 green peppers, sliced
- ¼ cup chicken or beef broth
- 4 cups cooked rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl combine the meat, 1 tbsp soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and sherry. Marinate for 15-20 minutes while you sauté the onion in 2 tbsp of oil for 3 minutes in a large skillet, then adding the green pepper and sauté for another minute. Add meat, marinate, broth, and leftover soy sauce and sauté for 1-2 minutes further, until all is nicely heated.
Put the meat mixture into a bowl and set aside. In the skillet, heat the remaining 4 tbsp of oil and then add the rice. Fry the rice for 3-4 minutes or until slightly brown and then add the meat. Makes a big quantity, enough to freeze for a chilly fall evening when you know you are going to get home late from work and need something quick to heat up.
What happens to leftover steak in your kitchen? Here’s an excellent and tasty solution!
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 cups leftover steak, thinly sliced and diced
- 2 cups hash browns
- Parsley, salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the steak, potatoes, and parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with toast and tomato soup in mugs.
With the cost of groceries ever rising, you don’t want to throw out any food that can be used in another tasty dish. Try these recipes and get your ingenuity going and come up with other ideas for using leftovers in delicious menus that will please your guests and your family.
