Sunday, September 16, 2007

Luscious Leftovers

Sometimes, there is nothing like leftovers! Some foods get better with time, and some you just can't wait to eat again and again and again. I will never understand why some people don't like leftovers - I can eat the same meal all week, provided it's good enough! Here is one example.

I made these three dips to serve with veggies and homemade pita crisps (just Pam and sea salt on the crisps) for our Sierra Club Open House. The top one is a Pumpkin Hummus from Cooking Light (this link will give you the recipe - yay!). I garnished it with roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The darker dip on the left is my famous hummus (though it came out a tad too runny this time!) sprinkled with a little ground cumin, and the lower one is the Herb Farm Dip from the Candle Cafe Cookbook that I made before with not so happy results. As I always say, recipes deserve a second chance. This time, the Herb Farm Dip (which has incredible amounts of fresh herbs - it tastes like a garden!) came out just right, because I left out the WHOLE ONION the recipe called for. All three dips were a big hit at the Open House. Luckily, there was still enough left for my yummy leftover lunch today. Hopefully no one at the meeting double-dipped... I will make some more pumpkin hummus for my lunch this week - now you go and make some, too! It's light and low-cal and perfectly fall.


Here is a close up of the pumpkin hummus!

I also made Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance, but I don't have a photo to share because ... they were eaten all up!! Yes, every single one of the three dozen. Mmmmmm... I love fall.





Speaking of leftovers, this is what came out of the leftover veggies that went with the dip. Well, just some of the veggies - there were quite a lot! I used another Cooking Light recipe (Curried Vegetables) and the pre-cut veggies were just perfect for a fast, easy meal. The meal could have been spicier, but overall it was pretty good. I substituted some of the veggies (zucchini for potatoes, and red pepper for green beans), so it wasn't a true curry, but that's what leftovers are all about - making the most of what you've got! It reminds me of my mum's Bubble and Squeak. Look that one up ;)


Last, this is a photo of my Sour Apple Muffins. Yeah, that's the right name! I made them after our neighbor gave us her (organic, local!) apples (a huge bagful) and I intended on giving her some muffins as a thank you. Well.... I've been known to mess up a recipe or two in my time and instead of the 3/4 cup apple cider... I put in 3/4 cup apple cider VINEGAR! Yeah, I was that stupid. What the hell was I thinking. Well, as I mixed it together and it started foaming, I thought, "Well, that's funny! I wonder why Isa didn't mention this neat reaction with the baking soda in her recipe description." (The real recipe is Apple-Pie Crumb Cake Muffins from V w/aV). That's when the smell of the vinegar hit me and I realized my mistake. Well, I also learned from my mum not to let food go to waste, so I added about a 1/2 cup of maple syrup and some more flour and put those suckers in the oven. They smelled a little funny and tasted a little sour (thus my new recipe name), but heck - I can still eat them and I will. And every time I eat one, I will remind myself that I need to slow down!!
P.S. - I made them again today with the correct ingredients and they were delish! Another perfect fall recipe. My question for the week is: I have a ton of pesto in my freezer. What can I do with it?? My only idea so far is to mix it with hot pasta, some white beans, and veggies, or put it on a pizza.

11 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I love leftovers too! (Although before I became veg, I dreaded "Leftovers' Nights"-- vegan leftovers must just taste better.)

Sour apple muffins? What an interesting idea; I love everything sour apple-flavored that I've ever tried, so those muffins sound great to me :o)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

yes, I too love leftovers - it's fun to make a variety of meals out of the same/leftover ingredients :0)

I'm loving your pumpkin hummus and sour-apple muffins!! delicious!!

A.M. said...

Do you have La Dolce Vegan? There is a recipe for pesto pin wheels (or something like that).

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your blog and have been reading through old posts--everything looks great!

I have been wanting to try the apple muffins from VWaV for a while now--I am so glad to hear that they are good!

Courtney

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

I'm so happy I just discovered your blog! I'm adding your link. Your hummus and veggies + pita meal looks awesome! I like to make a polenta pizza - use some of your pesto instead of sauce...

Peace, Love and Veganism said...

Great to meet all the newbies to my blog!! Thanks for your pesto advice. I've already mixed it with fresh herbs, hot pasta, white beans, and nutritional yeast (that was a little dry, but very healthy!). And you know, I think I like the sour apple muffins!!

Kumudha said...

Hummus looks so good. I have eaten hummus only in restaurants.

I should sometime try to do hummus at home.

Meg Wolff said...

Yes, leftover are precious in our house too!

I liked what you said about this was the best thing that you have ever done for yourself!

Kumudha said...

Thanks for the recipe!

urban vegan said...

sour apples? just slap some jam on them, right?

Anonymous said...

I'm with you and the leftovers. I always make extra and we eat the same thing all week (or variations of it). Variations are my favorite. A lot of people can't/won't do this (like my brother) and it drives me crazy!

Pesto is also good on baked potatoes and on sandwiches/wraps. I could add a frozen pesto cube or two to almost everything I make from spaghetti sauce to rice and beans.