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.