Good Evening!!! I can't believe it's already the end of September. This school year is really flying by. It has been a challenge keeping up my posting and working full-time. But, have no fear, I have a pile of What's for Leftovers recipes that I need to post. They're just waiting for some spare time!
Here's a new recipe that you can use with leftover tuna salad. My husband, Andy, only like a few types of fish: fried catfish, tuna fish and shrimp. A little while ago, I made a speedy dinner of tuna fish. I made a large batch, so we had quite a bit leftover. Since tuna fish salad doesn't last very long, I wanted to have it again the next day, but didn't want to have tuna salad sandwiches again. Soooo, I baked it. It turned out fantastic! Enjoy!
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10 to 11 inch baking pan with Pam.
2. Mix all ingredients together. Pour into baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Baked Tuna Salad is finished when the top is lightly browned and bubbly.
My mom is semi-Southern, so, we grew up eating fried okra. For us, it was a treat when my mom would take the time to cook this Southern delicacy. Although, I have battered and fried okra by hand, I am lucky enough to be able to buy it in the grocery store. I love it when it is on sale for $1 a bag. While I think fried okra is simply delicious, I was very surprised to find out that my children aren't as thrilled about it (although they both tried it for me!). With all this fried okra leftover, I seriously thought I might have to throw it out, but then I got to thinking. I hid it in this Cajun Spaghetti that went over extremely well with my husband and father. Enjoy the recipe, it's spaghetti with a twist!
Cajun Spaghetti
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Diced Onions
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
2 Chorizo Sausage Links
1 Brat or Smoked Sausage
1/2 Cup Chopped Ham
1 Diced Tomato
1 Cup Fried Okra
I Can Diced Tomatoes
1 & 1/2 Cups Spaghetti Sauce
1 Cup Water
1 TBSP Creole Seasoning
4 Cups Cooked Pasta
1. In a large soup pot, saute diced onions, celery and minced garlic in a little olive oil for 5 minutes.
2. When celery turns bright green add chorizo (decased and crumbled). Cook for another 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage, ham, tomato, fried okra, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, water, and creole seasoning. Simmer on high for 10 minutes.
3. Turn to low and mix pasta in. Cook until pasta is thoroughly heated. Serves 6 people.
After being back at work full-time for a month now, I feel like we can finally breath. The first couple of weeks we went out to eat a lot! However, there were a few nights I was able to sneak in a well-balanced, healthy meal. Here's a recipe that I created during those weeks. It is incredibly simple and you can start it the night before, so there's virtually no prep (besides your side dishes) when you get home from work. You can also use this marinade on vegetables or chicken, just follow directions substituting the shrimp with your preferred ingredients.
Shrimp on a Stick
Ingredients:
Bag of Frozen Shrimp (the already cooked kind you would thaw out and serve for a party)
2 TBSP Tandori Paste
1 Cup Orange Juice
Kebab Sticks
1. Start preparing this recipe the night before while you're cooking that night's dinner. In a large bowl, whisk together o.j. and tandori paste. The kind of tandori paste I used is pictured above.
2. If your shrimp bag has a ziplock on it, just use the shrimp bag. If yours doesn't have one, use a large ziplock bag. Dump o.j. and tandori paste marinade onto the frozen shrimp. Lay bag onto a plate and put in the fridge. Evertime you open the refigerator, flip the bag. Leave in the fridge until dinner the next day.
3. Next Day: Soak kebab sticks in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Heat BBQ grill to medium. Skewer shrimp on the kebab sticks. Spray grill racks with Pam. Grill on medium, away from the direct flame. 5 to 7 minutes per side. (We used the top rack of our grill) Shrimp are done when they are bright pink/orange and a little smaller.
