Salad Made with Leftover Meat

Do you ever have leftover meats and wonder what to do with them besides reheating them the same way they were originally prepared? I'm going to show you how to make a simple salad and vinaigrette that utilizes the left over meat. Whether you have chicken, pork roast or a steak leftover, you can make this simple salad. I'm going to use pork for this recipe. Chances are you already have all of the other ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry. It's fast, light and healthy.

 

Click here to view the video demonstration with additional tips.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 1 tomato, coarsely chopped
• 2-3 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups of chopped romaine lettuce
• The juice from a lime
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• 2 TB. red wine vinegar
• 2 TB. olive oil
• Honey to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste  
• 1 1/2 cups of left over meat, shredded or chopped. For this recipe, I am using some left over pork roast.

 Begin by adding a little olive oil to a hot pan. Add your meat and the sliced jalapeno to the hot pan. Brown the meat to bring out additional flavor. Finally, stir in the lime juice. Simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat.

Now let's make the vinaigrette. In a small jar or shaker container, add 2 oz of olive oil, 2 oz of red wine vinegar and a dsh of honey. If you want a sweeter dressing, add a little more honey.

Shake to blend and season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium size bowl,  combine the lettuce, tomatoes and green onions. Toss it with as little or as much of the vinaigrette depending on your taste.

 Place the salad in a serving bowl and top it with the meat mixture.

Enjoy!

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Pan Seared Tilapia with Chili Lime Butter and Corn Relish

Tilapia filets, lightly seasoned then pan seared. Served on top of a bed of sauteed spinach, topped with a chili lime butter sauce and corn relish, this dish will have your taste buds doin' the happy dance. All fresh ingredients and it tastes like summer on a plate. It may sound like a lot but it is in fact quite simple to make. The brightly flavored corn relish can also be used on chicken, pork or other kinds of fish. Serve it at your next dinner party and your guests will be amazed.

For this recipe, you’ll need the following:
 

Corn Relish:

• 2 strips of bacon, chopped small
• 2 ears of yellow corn, shaved
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/3 of a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• Zest from a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chili Lime Butter Sauce:

• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
• 1 medium shallot, chopped fine
• 1 serrano chili, finely chopped (if you don’t like spicy, substitute a jalapeño)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 lime

Tilapia:

• 2 tilapia filets
• Seafood seasoning (I prefer equal parts of coriander and fennel, lightly toasted in a dry pan and ground to a powder)
• Flour for dredging
• Oil for frying
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 cups fresh spinach

Begin by making the corn relish. In a hot pan, add the chopped bacon and brown it until its crisp, about 5-8 minutes. When the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and place it on paper towels to drain, reserving a tablespoon of fat. To the bacon fat, add the corn  and sauté until its done. Once the corn is cooked through, remove it from the heat and add the bacon back to the pan along with the tomato, cilantro and zest. Season it to taste with salt and pepper then set it aside.

 Now we will make the chili lime butter sauce. To a small sauce pan over medium heat, add the unsalted butter, shallot, chili and salt. Add the zest and juice from a lime and stir until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and set the chili lime butter sauce aside.

Now its time to pan sear the tilapia. Heat about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Season the tilapia filets with your favorite seasoning (or mine). Dredge them in flour knocking off any excess. When the oil is hot, carefully add the tilapia filets. Cook them for about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the filet) until they are a light golden brown on both sides.

Sautéing the spinach. Place a little olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a hot pan. Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute. Do not let the garlic brown. This will result in a bitter taste. Add the spinach, tossing it in the hot oil and garlic until it is lightly sautéed.

 

 Now lets assemble our dish. Place some of the sautéed spinach on a plate. top the spinach with one of the tilapia filets. Next, drizzle a little of the chili lime butter over the filet. Finally, top the filet with some of the corn relish.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Pomodoro Sauce

This multipurpose marinara-style sauce is excellent with pasta. Add your favorite meatball recipe and you have yourself a hearty meal. I use this sauce when I make my lasagna. I also use it as a dipping sauce for fried mozzarella and stuffed artichoke hearts. However you use it, it's a tasty sauce and a cinch to make. It also freezes well so you can double or even triple the recipe and freeze it in containers.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 28 oz can of whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by peeling and chopping 1/2 of a white onion. Saute the onion with a little olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sized skillet for about 7 minutes. Stir the onions periodically so they don't brown. About a minute before the onions are finished, add the garlic and stir to combine.

Using an emulsion blender, food processor, blender or simply your hands, crush the tomatoes in a bowl with their juices to the desired consistency. If you want a chunkier style sauce, then do not completely puree the tomatoes. If you want a smoother sauce, puree them until they are smooth. Add the tomatoes, sugar, oregano and red pepper flakes to the onions and simmer over medium low heat for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, julienne your basil leaves. The easiest way to do this is to roll them tightly like a cigar and slice them with a knife. 

After the tomato sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, add the basil and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

I welcome your comments. Click here to add your thoughts.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a great Spring or Summer appetizer when tomatoes are in season. The tomatoes are combined with fresh basil, garlic and olive oil and served on toasted baguette bread. I grew up on home grown tomatoes so I always stress to people that if you can't grow your own, try to find a local farmers market to get them. It will make a world of a difference, especially in this recipe.

For this recipe, you'll need the following:

• 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced to about 1/4 of an inch
• 10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices of baguette bread
• 2 TBS olive oil

Combine the tomatoes, basil and garlic in a medium size bowl. Add the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Brush one side of the bread with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Place the oiled side down onto a hot grill pan, BBQ or under your broiler. Grill both sides of the bread until its evenly toasted.

Finally, arrange the bread onto a plate and mound the tomato mixture onto the center.

Enjoy!

Gazpacho

Gazpacho is a quick and simple dish that anyone can make. It is a chilled vegetable soup of Spanish origin and perfect on a hot Summer day when you don't feel like cooking. Its refreshing and light, overflowing with vegetables from the garden or your local farmers market.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 hothouse cucumber (these are the cucumbers you see in the grocery store wrapped in plastic)
• 1 yellow bell pepper (you can substitute red or orange if you like)
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 cups of tomato juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp or cooked bay shrimp (optional)

Chop the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes and onion into 1/4 pieces. Mince the garlic.

Combine the vegetables, garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Add the shrimp (if you choose to do so). Mix well before serving. The longer Gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Enjoy!

Tomato Cheese Herb Tart with Artichokes

This is a great dish for an appetizer or, paired with a simple green salad, makes a delicious light lunch. The herbs really bring out the flavor of the roasted tomatoes and artichokes. If you have access to home grown tomatoes, its even better. I used red beefsteak tomatoes but you can also experiment with heirloom tomatoes or use a mix of red, yellow and orange tomatoes for a fancier presentation.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 ready-made pie crust or your own, about 12" in diameter.
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 9 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 6 oz marinated artichoke hearts
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees. Next, slice your tomatoes into ¼ inch slices. Discard the ends (or save them for a sandwich or other dish). Cut each slice in half.

Arrange the slices on paper towels. This will draw out the excess moisture from the tomatoes so that your tart doesn’t end up soggy. Allow the tomatoes to drain on the paper towels for 45 minutes.

Apply a light coat of cooking spray to the tart pan to ensure easy removal after its baked. Using a ready-made pie crust or your own, press it into an 11 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. If you do not have a tart pan, you can use a baking sheet. It'll work fine. You just won't have the fluted sides when its finished.

 We are going to blind bake this first. Blind baking means to pre-bake the crust with weights to prevent it from puffing up. Lay a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of your crust. Cover it with pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use glass beads purchased at any craft store (as I did) or dried beans.

 Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake for a couple more minutes until the crust is a pale golden color. Don’t worry if your crust cracks a little. The cheese will act as glue, holding everything together.

Now we are ready to assemble the tart.

Begin by layering the Swiss cheese slices on your cooled crust.  

Next, add the tomato slices, overlapping slightly, in a circular pattern.

Now its time to add the herbs. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons each of dried basil, oregano and thyme. I used dry herbs to keep it simple but if you choose to use fresh herbs, make sure to double the amount.

 

Season the tart with salt and pepper to taste.

 

Sprinkle the tart with the artichoke hearts followed by the Parmesan cheese.

 Bake it until the cheese melts and the tomatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Once the tart pan has cooled enough to where you can touch it, remove it from the pan by sliding the sides down. The tart should slide right off the bottom.

Enjoy!