Vegas claims not to like leftovers.
Both of us used to compete basically constantly ate leftovers.
At the prime of my meal prep, I was eating leftovers 7 meals a day, 7 days a week. I got used to it. Vegas got sick of it. She claims not to like leftovers.
Until I put them in front of her…
…
Wicked.
Last night I went to the Fabulous Fox Theatre to see Wicked with my mom. It was wicked good!
The Wizard of Oz was filled with political undertones (ex: the yellow brick road refers to the gold standard), and this “rest of the story” play delivers on that level as well. It was actually a pretty dark play!
I’m always impressed when playwrights that are able to parallel what’s going on in society in such creative ways. For instance, at one point the Wizard says to Elphaba:
When I came here, there was discord and discontent. And what better way to bring people together than to give them a common enemy?
Sound familiar?
But this isn’t a political blog. Let’s talk about food, baby.
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Yesterday I posted a dinner pic for WIAW. You are probably sick of hearing about how I’m only using what I have this week BUT… but I am always amazed when these garbage hodge podge recipes deliver. Everything But the Kitchen Sink Stew, for instance.
This bake was a winner. Like whoa.
Doesn't everyone take their pans outside to photograph... errrr... cool..?
For those of you who have been turned off by shirataki noodles in the past, believe me when I say NONE of the sea-like smell remains after this dish bakes.
My “lazy” tomato sauce turned out well too – it’s amazing what sauteing some onions and garlic can do for the jarred stuff. Capers and artichokes were a great add with the lemon-y “ricotta.”
Yes, “ricotta.” I would not have believed it if I hadn’t tried it for myself, but this vegan tofu variation of the creamy Italian cheese is actually good.
To summarize: Vegan (that is, until I grated what was left of my French sheep’s milk cheese on top). Gluten-free. Low carb. Delicious. The secret’s in the sauce.
It also tastes good leftover… eaten straight out of the pyrex.
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Tofu Ricotta
Tomato Sauce
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Press tofu for ~20 mins (I do this by placing a stack of cookbooks on it). Crumble into a bowl and combine with remaining ricotta ingredients. Using your hands, break up mixture until it reaches a “ricotta-like” consistency.
Meanwhile, saute shallot with a bit of olive oil in a medium saucepan until just turning translucent (~5 mins). Add garlic and artichokes, sauteing 4-5 mins long until garlic is beginning to brown.
Add pasta sauce to saucepan with the capers and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Bring to simmer, tasting and adjusting flavors as needed.
While sauce warms, prepare noodles according to package instructions. Mix noodles and tofu ricotta.
Place noodle mixture in 9 x 11 pyrex dish. Top evenly with tomato sauce.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 mins, or until heated through.
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Leftovers for lunch. Perfection.
Have you tried any of the homemade vegan “cheese” variations?
Do you like to go to the theatre? What is your favorite play?
The leftover gods smiled upon me.
I still had Moroccan Carrot Salad leftover and I was anxious to use more of the delicious peanut flour I ordered. Then I spotted a red jalapeño about to go bad in the fridge. In the same drawer was the end of a red onion. Right next to the shiitake mushrooms I forgot I purchased. This could only lead to a peanut sauce stir-fry.
Side note: Did you know that once jalapeños turn red they become more sweet and less spicy? It still had a kick, but I could eat a raw piece without needing to chug a glass of milk.
This was one of the best quickie meals I’ve done in a while. I love the way peanuts pair with spicy ingredients, and the way a creamy sauce coats noodles. The crunch of the raw carrots and almonds made the texture, and the earthiness of the mushrooms was perfect with the nutty, amino-laced sauce.
I wrote the recipe below without detailing the Moroccan part of the carrots (that recipe can be found by clicking here). You can easily make this without the spices I used there – the peanut sauce is plenty flavorful!
There are also substitution suggestions for the hard(er)-to-find tofu noodles (my Publix carries them), peanut flour (order online), and liquid aminos (Whole Foods carries it in a nifty spray bottle).
It’s a stir fry… a great opportunity to get creative! This would be great with snow peas, sesame seeds, and/or red pepper.
Leftover leftovers make for a tasty next-day lunch at work! 🙂
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For the Sauce
Prepare tofu noodles according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms, onion, and jalapeño in a pan with a bit of oil over med-high heat until tender (about 7-8 mins). Add noodles and carrots, stirring briefly to mix (~1 min).
In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients for peanut sauce, adjusting aminos or soy sauce as needed.
Add sauce to the pan and and toss together briefly. Add salt and pepper as needed, plate, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Enjoy!
Serves 2.
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I’ve been really bad about using up leftovers in the past – this creation has inspired me to try harder!
Do you re-purpose leftovers?
What has been you biggest leftover success?
