Leftover Bread Turned into a Spring Salad

The most recent batch of homemade bread had dwindled to one large bun and the chunky end of the last loaf, not enough of either to serve as a side for a salad lunch. Turning them into hefty croutons didn't make the resulting dish a "bread salad," but it did add body and savory flavor due to the garlic and added herbs.

I love the pairing of spinach and shredded cabbage, and that became the base for this mostly green salad. The rest of the list of ingredients is highly variable, based on what's in your refrigerator and your personal preferences.

The dressing has a nutrition boost, and the croutons (especially if made with a hearty whole grain bread) add to the overall balance, so this could be a good one dish main course justifying a hearty spring dessert like strawberry shortcakes or bright, and light, lemon meringues.

Healthy Spring Salad with Croutons

(NOTE--ALL salad ingredient amounts are approximate and are provided only as guides)

2 to 3 c spinach, coarsely torn
2 to 3 c shredded cabbage
2 to 3 T finely diced sweet onion
1/2 c diced green bell pepper
1/2 c diced, peeled, cucumber
2 to 3 T chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish if desired)
1 c shredded carrot (1 small to medium)

Protein Boosted Dressing
Croutons
Shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese (optional)

Toss all the salad ingredients with the dressing. Divide into 3 to 4 salad plates and top with croutons and cheese just before serving. Add a grind of black pepper if desired.

Protein Boosted Dressing

1 c plain yogurt
1/4 to 1/3 c light Italian dressing--or your favorite
seasoning salt and/or cayenne pepper to taste

Stir together and toss with salad.

Croutons

2 T olive or canola oil
1/2 t garlic powder OR 2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 t dried herbs--I used a mixture of 2 parts basil, 1 part rosemary, 1 part thyme
1/2 to 1 t salt, to taste
approximately 2 c leftover bread, cut in large cubes

Stir the seasonings into the oil in a large skillet and heat on medium high for 3 to 4 minutes. When the oil is well heated and fragrant, stir in the bread and stir to coat evenly. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the bread is golden brown and quite crisp. Leftover croutons may be stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Chicken "Casseroles" -- Some Ideas

When my kids were young, we had the same menu item perhaps two or three (or more!) nights as week: "Casserole." (If we had lived in Minnesota back then, it probably would have been "hot dish.") However, my goal was never to serve the same meal two times in the same week, and I was usually able to accomplish that. The point is that, for a busy family, these one dish meals can be a wonderful time and money saver without ever becoming boring.

Since my last post focused on chicken and mirepoix, here's the plan using those two ingredients. When you broaden out to pork, ground beef or turkey, ham, and vegetarian options, you could go for weeks without ever duplicating a meal.

First...
The Nutrition Background

By now you've probably heard it dozens of times: Balanced meals should include mostly vegetables, then carbohydrates, then protein--the British call it the "healthy plate." Basically, only a quarter of the meal should be the meat/protein source, with another quarter carbs, and half vegetables (and fruit, with vegetables predominant). Keeping this in mind, here is how some of your "casserole" meals should work out:

Meat
A one cup (8 oz or so) container of chicken really does include enough for a family of four, especially if there are other sources of protein included in the meal--glasses of milk, some cheese or beans in the casserole or diced into a side salad, etc.



Carbohydrate
Think of all the ways you have been served chicken--with rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. These are the "basic" carbs we Americans tend to use, so you already have at least four different ways to use that chicken.

Vegetables
Here is where a lot of families get bogged down. If any (or all) of the adults in the family are averse to veggies, it will be a challenge to get the kids to get too excited about this part of the meal, but a casserole often provides ways to ease the family into more healthy eating. The mirepoix is actually a good place to start, even if it doesn't provide a full serving of vegetables for each person.

Now...Some ideas:

The following list starts with a cup or so of pre-cooked, boned chicken and as much of the mirepoix as you prefer for each dish. If you are starting out with unseasoned chicken, you will be able to add your own preferences to each combination.

These are not recipes so much as ideas for ways to build main dishes adapted to your own family preferences, grouped by the kind of carbohydrate you might use with the chicken.

Rice:
Chicken, rice, mirepoix, peas or broccoli, with some melted American cheese as the sauce; a splash of Worcestershire sauce can add a little more flavor as well

Chicken, rice, mirepoix, broccoli, snap peas, bell peppers, etc., with soy sauce and other Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese seasonings your family prefers

Chicken, rice, mirepoix, corn, bell peppers, black or kidney beans, and chili powder and/or taco or enchilada sauce

Chicken, rice, mirepoix, French cut green beans or tiny peas or other green vegetables, a basic cream sauce with wine, and some very "French" herbs--savory, tarragon, etc.

Pasta:
Chicken, "mac and cheese" as per your family's favorite recipe, mirepoix, and lots of peas, beans, mixed vegetables, broccoli, etc.

Chicken, fettucine, mirepoix, cream sauce, and green beans or other green vegetables

Chicken, rice noodles, mirepoix, mixed "Oriental vegetables" and soy sauce or other Chinese, Thai, or Vietnamese sauces

Chicken, rotini or other fun-shaped pasta, mirepoix, spaghetti sauce, topped with Parmesan--this is a good place to drop in some peas, green beans, or "mixed vegetables" for kids who are otherwise vegetable-averse

Chicken, lasagna noodles, mirepoix, spinach, and the rest of your usual lasagna recipe ingredients

Potatoes:
Chicken, sliced potatoes, mirepoix (with extra onions), cream sauce and broccoli or frozen chopped spinach--upgrading your scalloped potato recipe

Chicken, mashed potatoes, mirepoix, some of the chicken stock made into gravy, and mixed vegetables of your choice--turn this into a shepherd's pie by combining all the other ingredients, spreading the potatoes over the top and then sprinkling with Cheddar cheese before baking just long enough to get a golden crust

OR--turn the shepherd's pie upside down--mix the potatoes with some cheese and an egg and spread in a well-oiled dish. Bake until this "crust" turns golden brown while you combine the chicken with vegetables and gravy or a cream sauce. Put the chicken mixture into the crust and sprinkle with seasoned breadcrumbs and/or grated cheese if desired

Chicken, diced potatoes, mirepoix, white beans or lentils, and other "stew vegetables" with some chicken broth and sage, poultry seasoning, or other herbs to make a hearty chicken stew

"Potato lasagna"--chicken, sliced, pre-cooked, potatoes, mirepoix, spaghetti sauce, chopped spinach or broccoli, oregano, Italian seasoning, and fennel seeds, ricotta and mozzarella cheese--layer the potatoes as you would lasagna noodles along with the other ingredients. Caution--this will NOT taste like "real" lasagna, but it will suit the tastes of those who especially like Italian flavors

Breads:
Chicken, finely diced, "raw" mirepoix--grated raw carrot along with diced onion and celery to taste--and perhaps even some finely grated cabbage and/or diced bell pepper, all mixed with your favorite salad dressing to taste and served on hard rolls. (Okay, I know, this is a sandwich, not a "casserole." Still, it's a fine use for these ingredients and yet another meal option.)

Combine this same "chicken salad" filling with some elbow or shell macaroni, perhaps with some black olives, radishes, or hard boiled egg slices, for a summer pasta salad that is, after all, just a cold "casserole," right?

Though not really a casserole, don't forget pizza with chicken as a topping. For this, stir some mirepoix into the sauce to up the vegetable content or just spread it over the top. Include broccoli or other vegetables that your family especially likes as well.

Chicken, mirepoix, in a cream or gravy sauce with broccoli, cauliflower, carrot slices, sugar peas, bell pepper, etc., topped with a biscuit crust

Chicken, leftover (or newly made) stuffing, mirepoix and a cream or gravy sauce with vegetables of your choice. The stuffing can be spread in a well-oiled dish and baked just enough to form a crust before topping with the chicken and vegetables layer, OR the chicken and vegetable mixture can be put in the pan and then the stuffing spread over the top before heating to bubbly in either the oven or the microwave

Chicken, mirepoix, black or pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, corn, green chiles, diced yams or butternut squash, chopped cilantro, and a cream or gravy based sauce, stirred together and layered in a casserole dish with Monterrey Jack or other white cheese and whole wheat tortillas. This one is best if made ahead and allowed to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.


By my count, the suggestions above could serve for at least three weeks of non-stop chicken meals--not that any of us would want to do that! Just think, however, how far they could take you if you planned to serve chicken with vegetables and some kind of carbohydrate just a couple of times a week. And while it may seem that the inclusion of mirepoix in all of these is unnecessary, by considering this as an "ingredient" that you can make ahead and have ready in the refrigerator, just think of the time that pre-preparation might save on especially busy nights.

(One more comment: Turkey is easily substituted in just about any of these ideas as well--a good thing to remember when trying to decide what to do with all those leftovers.)

I would love to hear of some of the other ways your family enjoys one-dish chicken meals, along with your own time-saving ideas.

Hearty Soup for a Crowd

We are enjoying a very old-fashioned winter, with lots of snow and frequent temperature dips below zero--perfect soup weather. The recipe that follows makes a really large pot of soup, but it is perfect for having a few friends over, it refrigerates well (probably not the best for freezing), and you will be amazed at how many people will be coming back for seconds and thirds.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

canola oil
2 to 3 c chopped onion (1 to 2 large onions)
2 c diced celery
3 medium carrots, diced--about 2 cups
6 large potatoes, scrubbed and diced but not peeled
1 1/2 c sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 medium)
4 chicken bouillon cubes OR 1 to 2 c chicken stock
1 T mixed dried herbs--rosemary, thyme, basil, and marjoram in about equal quantities
1 t basil, in addition to the basil in the mixed herbs
1 to 2 t garlic powder
seasoning salt and black pepper to taste
1 1/2 quarts milk OR 1 to 2 c dry milk powder
1/2 c American cheese, diced
1/2 c flour
water
1 to 2 lb frozen broccoli

Put a small amount of canola oil in a large (at least 10 inch) skillet. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the potatoes, sweet potatoes and bouillon cubes or stock with about 2 cups of water in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Cover and cook over medium heat. When the onion mixture is done, stir it into the potatoes along with the seasonings and continue to simmer until the potatoes are very soft. Mash the potatoes lightly.

Combine the flour with about a cup or so of cold water and stir to make a paste. Gradually blend into the potatoes and stir until the soup is slightly thickened and bubbly. Add the cheese and milk along with enough water to make about a gallon or so of soup--to the consistency that you prefer. Continue to simmer for another 15 to 30 minutes. About 20 to 30 minutes before serving, stir in the partially thawed broccoli and heat until the soup returns to a slow simmer.

Serve in large soup mugs with grated cheddar or colby cheese and freshly ground pepper. Serves 8 to 12, depending on their appetites.

Other add-ins or variations:

Cheesy Broccoli soup
Stir 1 to 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese into the soup after the broccoli is added and heat just long enough for the cheese to melt, stirring continuously.

Instead of, or in addition to the broccoli, stir in frozen peas, green beans, corn, mixed vegetables, etc. This can be a good way to use up leftover vegetables as well.

Diced leftover ham or turkey can be added near the end of the cooking time.

On the other hand, you can make this strictly vegetarian by using vegetable stock or vegetarian bouillon in place of the chicken broth/bouillon.

A Note on Salt

I probably should have included a comment in yesterday's Cabbage Rolls recipe, that it was no typo that there is no salt added anywhere. Then I decided the subject of salt is important enough to have its own entry.

An article in the August 1, 2008, Woman's Day quoted our own Mayo Clinic with these statistics: 6% of our daily salt intake comes from what we add at the table and another 5% is added while cooking. Meanwhile, fully 77% comes from processed and already prepared food we buy at the supermarket. (I guess the remainder must come from the meals we eat out--the article doesn't give us info on the missing 12%!)

One of the ways that I have found to cut back at least a little on overall sodium levels in my recipes is to rely on all that salt in the processed ingredients. Spaghetti sauce is one of my favorite "convenience" foods, but almost all brands are high in sodium. There are only a few low sodium options, and these are both expensive and not always well-seasoned in other ways. However, I have learned never to add salt to any dish where I will be using spaghetti sauce until I have tasted the final product. For example, there is enough salt in the Cabbage Roll sauce to season the pound of meat and all the other ingredients as well.

Other sodium lowering tricks:

I never salt the water in which I cook pasta and often eliminate the salt in rice if the food being served over it will be high in salt--think of all those wonderful Chinese dishes that include very salty soy sauce.

Mexican food ingredients--salsa, enchilada sauce, canned beans--can be very high in salt but there are ways to get around this. If you prepare your own pinto and other beans (really very easy and something I'll be covering soon), don't add salt. Most cooks will tell you that salt added too early when cooking beans is a problem for getting them soft anyway. Don't salt the guacamole, and use fresh tomatoes whenever possible. Make taco meat with chili powder, oregano, and garlic and don't add any salt.

Unless you buy expensive (and often not too flavorful) low sodium cheese, you will be getting a lot of salt when you include cheese in your dishes. Try using aged cheddar instead of mild and you can cut the total amount of cheese and thus sodium--along with a lot of unnecessary fat. Stir some plain yogurt into your casseroles (hotdishes) along with a reduced amount of cheese and you'll have a creamy sauce without as much salt. Add more pepper or some extra seasoning (oregano, cumin, basil, etc.) to boost the flavor if necessary.

Never salt vegetables that to which you will be adding sauce. Skip the salt even for those that will be served steamed and plain. A little pepper, a favorite herb combination, even a dollop of yogurt might be enough to cover for the "missing" salt. If you butter your vegetables, try using unsalted butter.

Never add salt to scrambled or fried eggs. It may sound strange, but you might just find you like these better without. Even if you do add salt at the table, you probably will be able to get by with using less at this point, since you will be able to get that "salty" taste on the tongue from the grains added afterward.

A lot of pie and other fruit desserts include salt; just don't include it and see if anyone even notices. Sometimes a tiny amount of lemon juice or vinegar can enhance the flavor more than any salt would have.

In other baking, I long ago stopped putting added salt in anything that includes baking powder or baking soda--those both already have plenty of sodium in them, and I would guess you will not miss the salt at all. If you really worry about the final result being too bland, add a few extra drops of vanilla or lemon juice or an extra shake of cinnamon or other spices already included in the recipe.

Don't however, eliminate salt in any yeast breads. Here, salt is not just a seasoning but also a control over the growth of the yeast. If you really have to eliminate salt from your diet, you may need to do a little research and testing to find an acceptable recipe for salt-free bread. I found one recipe at http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/HoneyWheatBread.htm but have not tested it myself to know if it will work.


Above all, of course, try to use fresh or unadorned frozen foods as much as possible. The more of these you use in your recipes, the more you can "dilute" the saltiness of any processed ingredients you may include. For those processed ingredients you do use and for which you can't afford salt-free substitutes, try a few of these hints to lower your sodium intake without blowing the food budget.

June 4, 2012 update:

Here is a very interesting article on the topic of salt:

We only think we know the truth about salt

Ten Healthful Foods, Starting with Canned Pumpkin

The February 13-15, 2009, USA Weekend magazine included this list of "10 healthful foods for cents a serving:"
• Canned pumpkin
• Beets
• Spinach
• Kiwi
• Sweet potatoes
• Frozen berries
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Oranges
• Yogurt
• Beans

No real surprises here, but I wonder how many people reading this brief item might have passed it by. Beets, spinach and beans seem to carry a really poor reputation among many people, and calling frozen berries starting at more than $3 a pound something that is only "cents per serving" may have turned others away as well.

Part of the problem of course was that there wasn't enough space to include more than the briefest of suggestions on how to use these foods in a way that would stretch the costliest among them and "hide" the strong flavors of some of the others.

In the next several days, I am going to try to post at least one suggestion for each of these foods to help get people started on incorporating these ten foods into their meals. Maybe after this list is done, I can start on one of the other similar compilations touted in news articles and features on the net and in print.

First, the pumpkin.

There are lots of recipes for pumpkin soup around the internet I have not yet tried but I do have a way to include pumpkin in your meals without the added sweetness of a dessert.

"Pumpkin Puddles"

Lay a piece of waxed paper, about a foot or so square, on a cookie sheet. Now open a can of pumpkin. Be sure you are using plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling!

With a large spoon, drop mounds of the pumpkin on the waxed paper, rounding them into neat little piles. These should each be about 1 to 2 tablespoons in size, but you don't have to worry about exact measurements. Put the pumpkin in the freezer until frozen solid. Then, keeping the waxed paper wrapped around them for extra protection, transfer the "puddles" to a zippered freezer bag and return to the freezer.

Now, every time you make anything with a tomato base—chili, sloppy joes, spaghetti sauce, soup, even lasagna--stir in one of the pumpkin "puddles." The result will not have a "pumpkin-y" taste, but you will notice an added depth of flavor, and you will have measurably increased the nutritive value of your dish as well.

If you prepare your own pumpkin, you can take this same approach, but be sure the pumpkin is well pureed so that it blends completely into the final recipe.

Finally, of course, I really can't talk about pumpkin without including some dessert, so here is a "pudding" that is really a cake. It is so dense and rich it can be served in quite small slices or squares, moderating the final calorie count. As an added benefit, the pumpkin, walnuts, and dates provide more than the usual nutrition in such a great dessert....and, the unusual method for combining the ingredients makes it very quick and easy to prepare.

Pumpkin Date Pudding

1 2/3 c flour
1 1/3 c sugar
1 c cooked or canned pumpkin
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1/2 c butter
1/3 c water
1 t soda
1 egg
1 c chopped dates
1/2 c chopped walnuts
Combine butter, water, pumpkin, and dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add the egg and chopped dates and beat for 2 more minutes. Fold in nuts and pour into a greased 6 1/2 cup mold or 9 inch square pan. bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or drizzle a thin powdered sugar glaze over the top.