My mother is the queen of the round 2 recipe. She is the most innovative leftover user in the world, and takes "waste not, want not" to a whole new level! Nothing was ever thrown out of her fridge when I was a child, and I mean NOTHING. She is the original recycler and I'm not talking about reheating last night's meatloaf and putting in between 2 slices of bread and calling it lunch; I mean completely different meals out of what was left over from dinner a couple of nights before. When I was a kid, I used to think it was a whole new meal! Want to get my mom pissed off? Come over to our house and waste food. She's so good at creating a second dish out of a leftover that she has even rubbed off on me; I turned tzatziki sauce into a topping for fish tacos by adding a little of it into fresh shredded cabbage, and then turned those leftovers into coleslaw.
My mother swears that she learned these tricks from her grandmother...I personally think that she has Great-Grandma beat hands down!
Late last week I made a roasted chicken that was coated in pesto. It was easy and delicious because the pesto was utilized in place of herbs that I usually use when roasting chicken. After the meal we had a ½ chicken left and I stuck it in the fridge assuming that I would cut it up and put it over salad for lunch. Last night, I walked in to a very pleasant surprise. My mother took the ½ chicken off the bone and transformed it into an incredible Caribbean/Indian/Moroccan chicken and rice dish that was to die for. She really emptied the spice rack on this one! It was sweet, spicy, salty, crunchy, sour, nutty and soft at the same time…it appealed to all senses and touched every inch of the palate. What an incredible use of leftover chicken. If you like food that is well-seasoned and spiced, you have to try this dish. I promise you will not be disappointed… and it’s a great dish for a crowd too. I couldn't even believe it was a leftover. I'm learning that with a little creativity I can make two to three dishes out of an original dish. On a regular basis, it makes cooking that much more exciting.
The next time you have leftover roasted chicken please try this recipe. Most of the ingredients are probably right in your cupboard!
Ingredients:
- Left over roasted chicken taken off the bone
- Slivered almonds
- Chick peas
- Dried apricots - sliced
- Green onion (scallions) – thinly sliced
- 7 cloves of garlic
- 2 cups of short grain brown rice (you can use white but there are major health benefits of using brown)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Ground Cardamom
- Ground Allspice
- Ground Cinnamon
- Smoked Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Coriander
- Garam Masala
- Ground Ginger
- Tumeric
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Cloves
- Salt
Mix all spices together, and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to make a paste. Take half of the paste and coat all chicken. Put chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least an hour.
Add 4 cups of water to 2 cups of brown rice. Bring to a boil and then lower flame to make the water a simmer. After 15 minutes add the green onions, and cook until tender. When the rice is finished put to the side.
When rice is finished, take chicken out and bring the chicken to room temperature
Take a tablespoon of butter and olive oil and heat in a large saucepan. Add chickpeas and almond and apricots and sauté. Add chicken to this mixture and brown slightly on all sides. Add the rice and add the rest of the spice mixture. Let simmer for 15 minutes and then add additional almonds and green onions on top as a garnish and serve.
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