Old to new

You all know I’m frugal.  And that I like re-working leftovers.  This is not news.

So when Alene & Ethel sent me home with extras from the shower, I was really excited to transform them into new dishes not have to cook for a while.

Orzo salad with sun dried tomatoes.

Quinoa with edamame, kale, and tomatoes.

Both of these dishes made their way into the weekly dinner plan immediately.

Since the orzo salad had an Italian/Mediterranean flavor profile going on already, I just added to it.

 

Cubed some (drained, uncooked, firm) organic tofu and tossed it all together with organic spring greens.

Ordinarily Kyle’s not a huge tofu person, especially when it hasn’t been cooked or disguised in a any way, but in salads like this one (and this one) it kinda replicates feta in a way that makes him cool with it.  Me, on the other hand?  I’m a-okay with the flavor and texture of tofu straight from the pack.

Old to new!  Easy as that!

I also added in extra dressing (a simple blend of olive oil and white balsamic vinegar) to get the greens coated nicely.  I’ve been really into salad dressing lately, especially Italian ones.  It’s definitely not something I’ve always been a fan of – I’m usually more of a hummus or Bragg’s aminos as “dressing” kind of girl.  But I’ve always loved semi-wilty salads.  I know that sounds bizarre, but the more massaged, the better.  Accordingly, I dressed this salad while making it, and let it sit (~30 minutes) until dinner time.  FYI, I’m the same with cereal.  Soggy all the way.

On the side we had steamed haricot verts (aka the fancy French name for green beans).  I had to google the plural of that word just now.  I took Spanish and we all know how horrible my French skills are.

The quinoa edmame dish got it’s turn later in the week.

Rainy weather combined with dark gloomy skies makes me want warm dishes for dinner, so I turned it into a stir fry.

 

I charred the quinoa and edamame significantly before adding in 3 eggs and then scrambling it all together like a veggie fried rice dish.  Minus the rice.

 

Added a touch of soy sauce and called it a day.

 

And that’s not even the last of the shower food! 

Making Kyle’s lunches has been especially easy thanks to these cute little Caprese skewers.

 

Which I paired with another Italian/Mediterranean inspired sandwich. 

 

Leftover tofu enhanced pesto and Sabra roasted red pepper hummus on sourdough. 

And the cake!  Glorious (vegan) carrot cake!