Re-purposed food

I used to dread leftovers. The dreaded food that takes up space in the refrigerator, that is avoided and ignored while we wait to see if the other person is going to cave in first and eat it. The food no one wants to eat, because why would you eat something you already ate when you can just cook something new? But letting that food go to waste is pouring money down the drain. So why not make it into something new? Here are some ways I re-purposed my leftovers over the last two weeks.

Initial Meal:
Garlic chicken: chicken breasts marinated in lime juice, garlic, cilantro and olive oil, then grilled.
Cowboy beans: pintos cooked with ham hock, garlic, onion, garlic, bacon, chorizo, jalapeno, bay leaf,  and cumin. I made a double recipe because I had a 2 lb bag of beans and a large ham hock, so why not?

Re-purposed:
Cooked the leftover chicken over low heat with a can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, some salsa and spices, then shredded it. Made some rice that I cooked with chicken stick and seasoned with lime zest, served cowboy beans over it, topped it with some of the shredded chicken, cheese, sour cream, scallions and a slice of avocado. Delicious!

Re-purposed again as taquitos:
I had some leftover flour tortillas. I "refried" the cowboy beans, layered on some shredded chicken and cheese, then rolled it up and pinned it with a toothpick. Dropped it in the deep fryer for a few minutes until crispy. Voila! Taquitos! Dipped in sour cream and salsa and they were amazing.

Maybe the Food Network would like to give me a show...hmmm, what could my show be called? The Leftover Lady...nah. 

And just for good measure...since we're in the kitchen cooking, I'll leave you with my download of the week to jam out to and put us in a good mood to think and re-invent our ingredients.

Ben Folds "You Don't Know Me" (feat. Regina Spektor)

This song is so catchy and bouncy. Every time it comes on I can't stop my head from bobbing side to side. And Regina Spektor is sheer genius. I love her completely. I hope you like it!