We don’t waste anything in our house, food in particular. I think it’s because food is literally FUEL for our jobs. But we’re also always on a budget, yes, tis life. With those two things in mind, I find myself getting more thrifty in kitchen, recreating meals from leftovers, and making do with the GOOD goods we got.
These leftover meal creations are what I call “peasant meals.” They are cheap (because they save us money), nutrient dense, and satisfying. And yes, they are tasty! In fact, they are some of the kiwi’s favorite meals, haha.
First up, Sprouted Brown Rice Pasta with Lentil Veggie Stew and Parmesan cheese.
We had 2 leftovers; sprouted GF noodles and Amy’s Organic Lentil Veggie stew. I drained the stew and tossed it with the noodles. Reheated and then added Parmesan, butter, and sriracha! Seriously, it’s delicious and so easy!
Second, salmon bean roll ups. Trust me, kids will even like this!
Just mix together leftover grilled or baked salmon with organic baked red beans (or black beans, northern beans, lentils, etc.) and a little sharp cheddar cheese. I mash up the beans a little before mixing. Then melt and spread on a gluten free tortilla (we use Udis Gluten Free) to roll it up. I often will add in salsa or a curry sauce to give it more flavor. Almond Cheese also works here if you can’t eat real cheese. Don’t do beans? Try it with mashed squash!
Last up, and one of my favorite, zucchini chickpea fish cakes! I posted this on Sizzlefish Blog a few weeks ago and just had to share again.
Gluten Free Zucchini Fish Cakes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 1x
Description
Gluten Free Zucchini Fish Cakes with chickpea
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas, drained (could also use cashews or walnuts if you can do beans)
- 1/8 cup of olive oil for mixing
- 3 cups (or around 12– 14 oz) of cooked fish that’s chopped (Haddock, Salmon, or Cod)
- 1–2 large zucchini, grated or chopped
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp of chili pepper flakes
- lemon juice (optional)
- gluten free flour and almond meal coating
- oil or butter for frying
- plain or red pepper hummus for topping
Instructions
PREPARATION
- Place chickpeas in a blender or food processor and add in your 1/8 cup of your olive oil. Mix or puree until mixture is some what smooth. Then pour into a bowl. chickpeas.
- Next, add in your cooked fish, chopped zucchini and veggies, and other spices/herbs. Mix well with hands.
- Roll the mixture into small patties and on a dish in the fridge. They will need to stay in there for about 30 minutes. This is because there are no eggs in the mix so patties/cakes need longer to set.
- Remove patties from fridge and then coat the outsides with both gluten free flour and a little bit of almond meal. You can use bread crumbs if you don’t have almond meal.
- Heat your skillet and add a little oil for frying (about 1 tablespoon) then fry cakes on both sides till they brown. If they seem moist, then pat them with a paper towel and then fry a little long or bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes more.
- Place on bed of salad, add a little bit of lemon juice (if desired) and then top with hummus.
- Serves around 2-4
- Prep Time: 35 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
I know, lots of beans. But remember, if you soak them first, you can digest them better. Also, you can replace most of the beans with any other starchy vegetable or nut.
Well friends, that’s all I got. Maybe I should really go to the store now. Hmm….
Favorite meal to make with leftovers?
Cheers,
LC
We try to NEVER waste food in our house as well. It actually crushes my heart if anything ever goes bad and we have to throw it out…I’m serious! Haha. The salmon and bean rollups are so creative, I have to try that! And the fish cakes are a great recipe as well.
Those roll ups!! I so need to order some healthier wraps and make them.
And leftovers are awesome. Especially cold pizza, haha. 🙂
A big “garbage bowl” salad with kale, salmon & roasted veggies!
FOR SOMEONE WHO ESSENTIALLY swims with the fishes all day and night, it’s weird that I have never made a fish burger before….. Ohhhhhh the ideas going on in my head all thanks to YOU!
I am all about left overs.
I LOVE leftovers. I kind of love throwing all the leftovers into a pot and making a big mash-up he he. Love all these ideas!
one pot wonders are my specialty too. and the best!
These all look so good! Come cook for me!
any day friend!
You know how I feel about leftovers. They’re the cats pajamas.
We are very much alike, you and I. We both love food and sticking to our lean budgets. You cook to feed the Kiwi’s brawn and I cook to feed the Hubby’s brain, which means together, we’re awesome.
Also, there’s no such thing as too many beans.
brains and brawn… we are so alike and could dominate the sherpa wife world together! Let’s do it!
And I think I found my new calling….let’s do it. Where do I sign? 🙂
haha, let me get my assistant to do that.. oh wait.. still looking for one. Snap!
I love repurposing leftovers. These are genius especially the salmon rollups.
these sounds great! Love finding new ways to enjoy leftovers.
Other than making big batches of soup and stew, I can’t remember the last time I had leftovers. Big eater over here. *blush*
that a girl! <3
Peasant meals = best meals!
My favourite leftover meal is to grab some spinach and top it with any left overs. That’s a new recipe, right? 🙂
yep, diggin it!
Oh – the chickpea fish cakes sound so good!!!
We are big on eating leftovers too and I’ve been trying to repurpose them some instead of just serving them as the same meal. Love your ideas!!
We gobble up every bite of leftovers (usually), so I love these repurposed ideas!!
Those fish cakes look awesome! I’m right there with you on not wasting food. We are all about repurposing leftovers here too!
and you do it well!
Those roll ups and fish cakes have my mouth watering! Yummy! I love it when we have leftover sweet potatoes. I’ll make sweet potato pancakes or a sweet scramble (from carrotsncake) with them. Yum!
Food NEVER gets wasted in our house either – I come up with some pretty creative (weird) meals sometimes 😉 Throwing away any food though seems so selfish and wasteful!
the weirder the better! haha
I love leftovers…. I never really make new recipes with them, but rather dump them all in a bowl and eat them haha. Love the salmon + bean wraps though, def gotta try those!
This is “The Art of Leftovers.” All of these look delicious, complex, and so satisfying. You have skilz in the kitchen, Lindsay! I am so happy I found you and your blog through Instagram. Can’t wait to dig into all your stuff today. Great blog. Hope to connect soon. Take care. @thefitswitch
ahh so good to connect Jess! Let’s keep this going! YAY!
This is practically, “The Art of Leftovers!” Beautifully done. Lindsay, I love your blog, and am so happy I’ve found you through Instagram challenges. Keep up the awesomeness, and I’ll keep checking back. Happy Monday!
Great Ideas! I’m always trying to figure out what to do with leftovers since my husband will not eat them unless they become something else. I’m forced to get creative. Oh I love him but he drives me a little crazy sometimes.
p.s. the cinnamon salmon goes great with butternut squash ravioli
YESsssss!!!! Yum!
I swear I never thought there was a way to use leftover fish other than having “leftover fish” if you know what I mean.
But whhhhaaaa?
beany fish tacos? and fish cakes?
*DOH* I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time.
haha well lets just say we have a lot of fish, and i like making use of it.. in more than one way. You’d love the cakes!
I stink at using leftovers. I know i need to get better but I always put them in the fridge with then intentions to use them and find them on Friday when i clean out the fridge all bad and gross and unusable. Dan calls it “pulling a kindal”.
ahhh poor use of a word. We need to revamp that! haha
I am one of those that prefers leftovers – the flavors seem so much better to me! 🙂
I think those zucchini chickpea fish cakes are my favorite too – almond meal is amazing as a coating!
As a single mom, I am always on a budget too and leftovers happen a lot in our house! Most times we end up having leftover veggies and leftover quinoa so I will resort to a stir fry with some chopped peppers and beans – nothing fancy, but hits the spot!
I love repurposing leftovers for meals that make them feel like a whole new meal!
I love leftovers and like you, I am all about using every last bit up. No wasting in this apartment. 🙂 This week is all about using up all my goodies, before I head out of town. XOXO
clean out the pantry time!
We usually don’t have too many leftovers, and if we do i just throw them into Joshua’s lunch for the next day.
I am the leftover queen — I can turn anything into a delicious quesadilla! I also strain off the liquid from my slow cooker to use as a base for soup creations later in the week — now, THAT’s frugal!
totally do the same. CHEAPO COTTER here
We like a lot of beans in our house too. They can make for super easy meals and they won’t break the bank!
Ahhhh I see what you mean! Yes, you can definitely link up with us (could you possibly add the button or a link somewhere PLEASE :P)
And your recipes, not only do they all sound good, but I have not decided if fish should be included in meatless monday or not………I am kinda leaning towards it should be, but will have to see what others think. I kinda enjoy the challenge of using leftovers to make meals….so do the cotters 🙂
You make leftover look gourmet. Can’t wait to make the fish cakes!
I love these ideas! We are a big left over house as well 🙂 I never think to make cakes with left overs. I will have to try it!!
LOVE these ideas – especially the roll-ups and cakes! Those are favorites in our house anyway so these are fresh ideas. love.
Ohhhh you are so resourceful! I try to use up my food and create recipes as often as possible, but it doesn’t always happen. It’s deffffinitely something I want to get better about!
well you do a fab job! and yours are way prettier I am sure.
The Salmon Bean Roll Up is ingenious! I am going to make extra salmon this week so I can take the leftover in wrap form for lunch. I need to get some of the Udi’s wraps. I have tried a bunch of different kinds but they have been a “no go.” Trader Joe’s carries the Udi’s bread and buns but I haven’t seen the wraps.
Leftovers make the best dishes 😉
Repurposed leftovers are the best! Great post.
The bean roll ups! I’ve never thought to mash beans and protein together- my stomach won’t like it but I certainly would 😉
so now you have me curious.. northern beans and lentils (soaked or cooked well) are the only beans i can now handle in smaller amounts. I wonder if you could too??
I’m very big on leftovers mainly because I can’t stand wasting food! I usually find ways to throw leftovers into a breakfast hash and also use for snacks. Great ideas here!
Love these ideas, especially the lentil stew one, which sounds about perfect on this cold Monday morning.
you’d love. And send that cold this way!