Thinking like a Chef

Hmmm

* tofu
* chopped onions (cooked)
* leftover roast chicken (deboned)
* strips of green pepper (cooked)
* sour cream
* lime juice
* shredded cheddar cheese

I know what I'm gonna make with this but I'm curious as to what you'll come up with. I also have basic salad fixings (salad in a sack, cut carrots and a few cherry tomatoes), plus we have milk, orange juice, bread and eggs.

This is great as we're going food shopping this weekend - time to use up the leftovers. Thanks!

Hmm...curiouser and curiouser....

First thoughts: the tofu is the neutral character in this plot, and could be jazzed up in 3 ways, off the top of my head....marinated, deep fried or blended into a creamy dressing of sorts....I might go the dressing route, blending the tofu with some sour cream, lime juice, the cooked peppers and cooked onion, perhaps an egg yolk, for a sort of Southwestern type mayo dressing with veggie-powered protein....toss with the salad stuff and cheese, heat up the chicken and serve warm on top or on the side.

There is cool stuff to do with milk and orange juice, but the chicken is already cooked, so it wouldn't work too well

Hmm, you could also reduce the orange juice to a glaze and brush it on the chicken before popping it in the oven...

whoa, this is fabulous! where was this the other night?. i'll be back with my next left-over emergency in a day or so.

Beth
I agree. This is awsome!

In my fridge I have some left over corned beef brisket, mozzarella cheese, american cheese, moneray jack cheese, eggs, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onions, carrots, potatoes, A1 sauce, terriaki sauce, salad dressing, pea soup, cabbage, and turnip.

Ah, thanks, cav! :-D

We went Southwestern - nachos and kind of hoped for the best. Will try your way next week, when I'll undoubtedly have the same leftovers.

Gezzy has a lot of cheese....we will all have to think about that one

Hmm....brown the onions, throw in some cut up tomato, the shredded corned beef, add either the A1 or the Teriyaki, heat through. Cut the potatoes into thick slices, grill or roast them. Put the meat mixture on top, top with the different cheeses and pop under the broiler. Serve with a side salad, and the pea soup.

Cav
I can't believe you did it. I never thought anyone would come up with something. Oh, you're good :-D

By the way, the reason why I have so much cheese is because I make my own homemade pizza and freeze them for my son.

Heh, I like making homemade pizzas too, always nicer than take out. I have discovered that goat cheese freezes very well. When frozen it can be grated into tiny shavings onto a pizza for a high-flavour, less fat pizza.

My son the Chef (lol, that's a kick to say) says that usually in the final interviews for an executive chef the task is to prepare a dinner out of ingredients presented without the prior knowledge of the candidate. That is one of the things he excells at. Now, if only I could get he and his wife (a chef as well) to quit Monday quarterbacking the little repasts I have a hand in, ha! Apparently they enjoy dissecting every meal at their home, no matter how humble and very much "normal" food. I must tattle that in their home, the ingredients at hand would have to include microwaveable corndogs...

A roasted chicken, whole & unboned from last night when I made two. Lots of carrots, lots of tomatoes, both the grape and the kind on a stem, some fresh broccoli, sweet and bermuda onions, fresh ginger, bacon, celery, eggs, romaine, gruyere, white cheddar, pepper jack, cottage cheese, sour cream, grapefruit, V-8 juice, milk, some cream, red wine, cognac. Oh, and some Coleman hamburger and Jimmy Dean's low-fat sausage. Large frozen shrimp, plus frozen peas & corn. A couple pieces of white bread, we're on the Atkin's diet, too, but I buy that for my teens, who aren't!

We did have chicken just last night...

cobalt, my mom gets the same thrill =)

Piffka, seems like you have enough on hand for a couple of meals. Seeing as you had chicken last night, and you are on Atkins, I would....

Saute a little sweet onion, carrot and celery in some chopped up bacon (maybe a little oil too), deglaze with a little cognac, add the seeded, cut up large tomatoes, a touch of V8, a little bit of water (I suppose we can assume that is always around), lower heat, cover pot, simmer about ten minutes. Puree really well, add a touch of cream, reheat to a low simmer, poach the shrimp, corn and peas in it for a smoky shrimp tomato stew.

For another soup idea, I might try sauteeing some sweet onions and ginger, add the carrots, cover with water, simmer till done, puree and season. If you have a vegetable juicer, you can juice some of the carrots and use that instead of water for an incredibly sweet carrot-ginger soup.

I would take the meat from the chicken off the carcass, use the carcass and some veggies for stock and freeze it. The red wine and some stock could be used to make a reduction which you could finish with a bit of cream to use for sauce when you want to serve the chicken again. Some steamed broccoli with melted cheese would go nicely. The rest of the stuff I would save for breakfasts.

Now technically, you didn't mention olive oil, but a grapefruit juice reduction would make a nice base for a salad dressing, for the romaine, celery and grape tomatoes, maybe some shredded pepper jack....maybe some chicken.

Could also reduce the chicken stock in half, and use some onions to make a sort of flourless French Onion Soup, top with the Gruyere and broil a touch. Cheers!

CavFancier -- Thanks, yes, I try to only shop a couple of times a week. What a wonder you are! I'm going to print this and tape it to my kitchen cupboard.

PS -- Of course I have olive oil, but I don't keep it in the frig. Am not sure precisely what a grapefruit juice reduction would be.

Oh, just boil the grapefruit juice until it thickens a bit, maybe in half.

I make a pretty mean pizza myself

That's awsome Wilso :-) Maybe someday we can have our own little pizza party ;-)

Count on it!

Oh, I am :-D

Cav- What a fun thread!!
I'm always recycling leftovers. at home and at work. It's THE BEST when you can pass it off as something new and exciting!!