So Many Dishes

Even though it’s over a week until we leave for our trip, we’re planning meals to try to use up food that’s in the fridge. As a result, I’ve been getting creative with leftovers.

Alice and Dante came for dinner on Sunday, an early celebration of Alice’s birthday. Her dinner request was mojo-marinated chicken, black beans, and rice. I surprised her by adding plantains to the menu. Dessert was everyone’s favorite, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The remaining cupcakes and leftover plantains went home with them.

Normally, I would simply have reheated the leftover chicken, beans, and rice for dinner the next day. But there was only one piece of chicken remaining, even though there was plenty of beans and rice left. What to do.

My solution was to create bowls. I used the rice as the base, and added the beans and shredded chicken. I had a roasted bell pepper in the fridge that I sliced and included, along with some coarsely chopped cilantro leaves. Fresh salsa was the perfect sauce. It made a colorful, attractive dish that turned tasty leftovers into a real treat.

This was also a great chance to serve in another pair of bowls that I don’t normally use. (I really should not be allowed in Home Goods on my own 😄) I love botanical designs and prints, so these were hard to resist. Their unusual shape makes them next to impossible to put into the dishwasher, so I always wash them by hand. Instead, I usually reach for our old bowls that I can put in the dishwasher.

I don’t normally blog about leftovers, but I will when they’re this good. Happy eating!