leftovers – Chef About Food

Fast & Easy Pantry Superbowl Snacks

It’s a few hours before the big game, but you still don’t know what to do for snacks? Maybe you didn’t make it to the store, or maybe you just got too busy to think about it. Whatever the reason, don’t worry, all is not lost. I’ve got a few easy ideas using items you probably have on hand in your kitchen.

Pigs in a blanket

1 package of hot dogs or cooked sausage

1 roll of Crescents (Pillsbury)

Ketchup (optional)

Mustard (optional)

Pre-heat oven according to Crescent roll package. Open and unroll Crescent rolls onto a clean working surface. Separate them according to the perforations. Spread a light amount of ketchup and mustard (if using) only on the wide end of each roll. Place one sausage or hot dog at the wide end of each roll and roll them up.

Place them on a lined or sprayed baking sheet a few inches apart.

Bake according to package directions. Let cool for 5 minutes and then cut them to size. Serve with more ketchup and mustard, melted cheese, BBQ sauce, or hot sauce.

Cheese dip

1 Eight ounce box of Velveeta

½ cup of Rotel tomatoes drained or ½ cup of salsa excess liquid drained

½ cup of cooked sausage or left-over cooked meat chopped fine (optional).

1 scallion, sliced thin keeping white and green parts separate (optional)

Place all ingredients, except the green parts of the scallions, in a bowl and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring after every 30 seconds, until Velveeta is completely melted. Stir thoroughly and sprinkle the top with scallion greens. Serve immediately. If it gets too cool and starts to be hard to dip, microwave for 30 seconds, and stir.

Variation: Omit Salsa/Rotel and meat and stir in a can of chili instead.

Air Fryer Taquitos

1 ½ – 2 cups of left-over cooked meat and/or cooked veggies

1 cup of shredded Cheddar, Monterey, Gouda, Colby or Taco blend cheese

4-8 inch flour or corn tortillas as needed

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tsp ground garlic

Jarred sliced hot peppers (optional)

Mix meat and/or veggies with cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Mix in hot peppers if using. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time. It should be moist but not dripping. Put cheese on one end of a tortilla, place meat/veggie mixture on top of the cheese, place a little more cheese on top and roll up. Depending on the size of your tortilla, you should have about 3 Tablespoons of filling (including the cheese) in the tortilla, don’t overfill. You should be able to roll it easily. Place seam side down in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Repeat until all the filling is used. Spray Taquitos with oil spray and air fry on 380 for 6-8 minutes until light brown and crisp. Cool for 2-3 minutes before biting in; they will be very hot inside. You can serve salsa, sour cream, guacamole on the side for dipping.

Buffalo Cauliflower or Brussel Sprouts

2 cups of Cauliflower florets (can be frozen)

2 cups of cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half Brussel sprouts

Frank’s Original Hot Sauce or Buffalo Sauce

Ranch or Bleu cheese Dressing

Pre-heat oven to 375.

Place Cauliflower or Brussel sprouts in a Microwave safe bowl with a lid and add ¼ cup of water (if using frozen, don’t add any water), cover and microwave for 3-4 minutes or until a fork offers only slight resistance.

Transfer to a strainer and drain off any liquid.

In a large bowl, Toss Cauliflower or Brussel sprouts in Frank’s until well coated. Transfer to a lined and sprayed sheet pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until they are brown. Check after 10 minutes.

Serve with Ranch or Bleu cheese dressing for dipping.

What to Do with Left Over Veggies – The Frittata

It’s late Sunday morning, you’re leisurely sipping on a warm cup of coffee or tea and thinking about what to have for brunch. Maybe you’re still feeling the aftermath of the last glass of wine you had after supper, or perhaps you just aren’t in the mood to invest much time into this. You head over to the refrigerator to see what the options are, all the while wishing leftover pizza will suddenly appear out of nowhere and be sitting on the shelf. Sadly, a magical pizza fairy has not blessed you this day and the only left-over food you see are some cooked vegetables from supper. How will you turn these vegetables into a meal that’s not too involved or time-consuming? The answer comes from Italy, make a Frittata.

The Frittata is a bit like scrambled eggs, crustless Quiche, Spanish Tortilla (which usually includes cooked potatoes), or an unfolded Omelet. In Italy, mothers and grandmothers will whip up a Frittata as a quick and easy snack using whatever meat or vegetables they have around the house. You might also see a Frittata at a bar being offered as a bite to eat between meals with an espresso or glass of wine. In my experiences, they were always served at room temperature in Italy, but at home I like to eat it hot with melted cheese on the top.

It’s perfectly acceptable to add whatever cooked vegetables and meat you have handy. Fresh herbs or fresh spinach added at the end of cooking are nice too. In this recipe, I used zucchini and mushrooms that have been cooked with onion and garlic. I typically add a few dashes of Tabasco, but that’s not traditional. Don’t be afraid to make it your own, this is a forgiving recipe.

Frittata

Serves 2 -3

3 large eggs

1 Tablespoon milk (nut milk or animal milk)

2 dashes of Tabasco (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 Tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino cheese grated (optional)

½-1 cup cooked vegetables

Shredded cheese of your choice (optional)

¼ cup fresh baby or chopped spinach (optional)

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Heat olive oil in a non-stick oven safe sauté or fry pan until shimmering slightly. Add the cooked vegetables evenly across the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, Tabasco, Parmesan, pepper flake, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over vegetables in the pan and reduce heat to low.

Method 1: Cook until edges start to brown slightly then turn out onto a plate and slide back into the pan. Continue to cook until edges start to brown slightly. Optionally, sprinkle with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs, and cook until cheese is melted.

** This method can be difficult and messy, so it’s not my favorite.

Method 2: Place pan into a preheated oven at 350 degrees and cook until eggs set up and begin to brown slightly. Gently shake the pan to test for doneness. Optionally, sprinkle top with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs if using and cook until just melted.

Method 3 (my favorite): Cook until edges start to brown slightly. Cover with a tight fitting lid and continue to cook until set. Gently shake the pan to test for doneness. Optionally, sprinkle top with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs if using and cook until just melted.

Serve warm or at room temperature.