Recycled Dinner- Using Leftovers in a No Recipe Meal

Leftovers. You either love them or hate that. Some people eat them, others leave them in plastic containers until they return to life in a fuzzy bowl of antibiotics-to-be. Some people refuse to even save them. Sometimes they make a great lunch the next day and sometimes you're eating them for the next three days. Leftovers don't have to be boring and with a little creativity, they don't have to be the exact same meal either. 

Friday night I came home from work dreading the coming winter storm. I walked in the front door and was immediately met by lovely aromas. The Chef was busy cooking dinner. He was making a roast beef, rubbed with a coffee and spice meat rub he put together and slowly roasting in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. He makes an absolutely killer roast beef and uses all the traditional vegetables- carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms. After a delicious dinner we still had a good portion of roast beef left over, and a small bowl of roast potato wedges so he tucked those away in the fridge for now.

Saturday night meant pizza night, and more leftovers. For toppings, we wanted salami, mushrooms, onions, olives green peppers. I needed one bell pepper, but they came in packages of three, so, you guessed it, two peppers were leftover.

So here we are on Sunday and I need to pull something together using the various left over items from our last couple dinners. This is going to be easy! I've got everything I need- roast beef to chop up, vegetables to add flavor and textures, roasted potatoes to either incorporate or serve alongside, and two beautiful bell peppers to pull it all together!

Get started by preparing the peppers. I used two large green bell peppers. Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds and membranes. I charred the peppers a little over the gas burners to get a smoky roasted flavor. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and arrange the peppers cut side up. Set aside.

For the filling I prepared 1/2 cup uncooked rice, using the leftover broth from the roast as the liquid. Just cook it like you would regular rice, and set aside.

Pick out and chop enough of the roast beef to make about one cup, enough for four pepper halves. Chop some of the mushrooms and onions. I smashed a couple cloves of garlic too. In a medium bowl, toss the meat cubes, rice, and vegetables with about 1/2 cup salsa or pasta sauce- whatever you have around. Divide the filling among the pepper halves. Top each with some shredded or sliced cheese. Cover with foil, but tent it, so the cheese doesn't stick to the foil and bake at 375 for about 30-45 minutes, uncovering at the end to brown the cheese.

Wasn't that easy? No recipe, just use whatever you have. You can add veggies such as leftover corn, or olives, or whatever you like. Serve with a salad and some bread and you've got a super fast and economical dinner that helps clean out the fridge!

Mom's Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

Each year as the holiday season approaches I find myself thinking about my mother. Everyone who has lost a loved one understands the empty place at the holiday table, and the feelings that go along with that. I am sad that my mom was not here to meet The Chef, and be with Dad at our wedding a couple weeks ago. She would have adored The Chef and I'm sure they would have been great friends. I've talked about my mom's recipes with you guys before. Seems like the summer months really make me miss Mom and some of the things she would make for dinner. She always made a cucumber salad that was so simple and delicious, and a tomato salad with the exact same vinegar and oil dressing. She always made a giant pot of green beans, ham and potatoes, which was a huge family favorite. She made zucchini in the simplest way, sliced, sauteed with sliced onion and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. As a kid I thought I hated zucchini but as an adult I realized how wrong I was.

When my friend Lisa brought all the jalapenos to share to the office, she also brought a big bag of bell peppers. It just so happened to be one of those days that I really didn't know what I was going to make for dinner, nothing was inspiring me, and I knew I'd end up at the grocery store. As soon as I saw the bell peppers I knew I'd have to make stuffed peppers. I snagged three peppers to take home and knew I'd be making Mom's stuffed peppers.

These stuffed bell peppers were a staple of my family's when I was growing up. Dad always grew bell peppers in the garden and Mom always made this version. Unlike the stuffed peppers I see a lot of other people making, this one is not filled with a meatloaf-type mixture. The stuffing is more like beefy Spanish rice with diced tomatoes, herbs and spices, diced onion, garlic and extra bell pepper simmered with rice (Mom always used Minute Rice). She used Italian herbs to season the mixture and each pepper would be topped with a strip, i.e. half a slice, of American cheese before popping in the oven to heat through and brown the cheese. Like Mom, I also use Minute Rice for this recipe but I just say no to processed cheese and instead go with some shredded Colby Jack. I like the peppers to still have texture and bright green color. If you like a softer pepper, steam the unfilled peppers for a few minutes to soften before stuffing and baking.

Mom's Super Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large green bell peppers

1/2 medium onion

5-6 cloves garlic

2 lb. lean hamburger

1 can Italian seasoned petite diced tomatoes in juice*

1 small can tomato paste

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

2 cups instant rice

2 cups water

olive oil

2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

You can use diced fresh tomatoes instead if you like- use about 2 cups diced tomatoes.

Cut 3 of the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds and membrane. Cut away the stem. Place in 9x13 baking dish and set aside. 

Clean and dice the remaining pepper, the onion and the garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium high eat and add a swirl of olive oil. Add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble the ground beef into the skillet and cook, breaking the meat up, until the beef is cooked. Drain off any accumulated fat.

Add the undrained can of tomatoes, tomato sauce, rice and water to the skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Cover, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small casserole dish and set aside.

Pile the filling into the peppers and replace in the baking sheet. Pile any remaining filling (there is usually a lot) into the small casserole dish. Cover peppers and extra filling with shredded cheese. Place in oven and bake 45 minutes until peppers are crisp-tender and the cheese is browned and melty.

Serve this favorite Iowa summer dinner with fresh Iowa corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes, and crusty bread.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

McGuyver Dinners- Unstuffed Peppers

Some of the funniest moments in my life took place in a townhouse in Johnston, where my best friend Ronda and I were starting new chapters in our lives. She was starting over in a new city, and I was starting over as newly single. Our friendship is a fun mix of eclectic things- some we have in common, some we couldn't be more opposite if we tried. I'd be lying if I said we didn't have a few cocktails over the time we lived there. We had a fully stocked bar!  Some of our crazy antics included driveway bowling, numerous Jager bombs, and driving through snowdrifts in my SUV. Let's just say this last antic was not so successful.

Anyway, lots of times two adult women looked at the contents of our pantry and bemoaned the selection. Not wanting to go to the store or order delivery, I was usually assigned the task of coming up with a dinner. Ronda would always say that I could take black pepper and an ice cube and come up with a three course meal so, like McGuyer and his crazy paper clip and rubber band saves he day storylines, we just started calling it McGuyver Dinner. I've made many many McGuyver Dinners over the years. It's really not that hard, since I've always got some basic ingredients on hand like some kind of pasta or grain. Making a sauce or gravy isn't too difficult if you keep canned soups, broth or soup bases, or even tomato products on hand. Throw a few things together and you've got a, hopefully, tasty dinner.

Today The Chef was going through our cabinets and came upon my grain stockpile. At any given time I have an assortment of eight or nine grains on hand- everything from rice to quinoa to millet to amaranth. I love trying the ancient grains and using them in recipes. The textures are so varied, the flavors so unique. Some grains, like farro and kamut, look similar to rice. Farro is a larger grain and takes longer to cook than rice. Kamut has a chewy texture and remains firmer than rice. After piling every bag and package of grain from my stash on the counter, I decided to go with the kamut. Kamut is a great source of fiber and protein too, and who doesn't want that? 

I had some bell peppers and mushrooms to use up, so I thought I'd got for an inside out stuffed pepper type dish using Sinful Food products. The Signature Seasoning is great for replacing the salt and pepper. I had just a little bit of garlic olive oil left so I used that and also used he jalapeno oil. It was perfect- the jalapeno added just the slightest bit of heat and another layer of fresh pepper flavor.  Here is my recipe- 

McGuyver Unstuffed Pepper Soup

3 bell peppers

1 large onion

8 oz package mushrooms

handful fresh garlic cloves

1 lb ground beef

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

2 cups uncooked kamut

6 cups beef broth

Sinful Food Signature Seasoning

Sinful Food garlic and jalapeno olive oils

Chop the bell peppers, onions and garlic. Heat a couple tablespoons of garlic olive oil and jalapeno olive oil in a LARGE stockpot. Add the chopped vegetables and season. Cook over medium high heat until softened. Remove from the pot.

Add the ground beef to the pot and break up. Cook until browned and cooked through. Drain any accumulated fat. Return the vegetables to the pot and add all remaining ingredients. 

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about an hour until the kamut is tender.

The kamut will not be as soft as rice. It retains it's chewy texture, which I loved. I originally intended this to be more of a casserole-type dish but instead we ended up with a pot of a delicious and hearty soup. I was happy with the result. Kitchen disaster averted!! 

To get your own Sinful Food olive oils and seasonings, click HERE.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." As a Brand Ambassador, the company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift or something of value. Regardless,  I only recommend products or services I believe are of good quality and safe. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."