Greek Couscous Salad

From Friday to Tuesday we had a glimpse of spring weather. Indeed, Monday and Tuesday got into the 60s! The sun was shining. Scarves, hats, and mittens were unnecessary. Boots were left on the mat at home.

Then there was last night. The rain/hail/snow/windstorm came back with vengeance. It woke me in the middle of the night for a few hours while it was trying to break through my windows. In the morning I could hear people scraping the icy snow mixture off their cars. I almost threw the covers over my head and declared I wasn't coming out until winter leaves us alone.

Unfortunately real life doesn't allow me to do that. So I'll settle for spring on my plate. In the form of this couscous salad. It goes perfect as a side to a grilled pork chop, chicken breast, or piece of fish. Make it. Sip a fruity cocktail. Pretend spring is out of hibernation for real.

Greek Couscous Salad 
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked couscous
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup diced red onion
kernels from one ear of corn
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup feta cheese
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Stir together the couscous, vegetables, olives, and cheese. Squeeze the lemon juice on top and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to your own taste.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pulled Pork Spring Rolls and Wonton Tacos

Are you a leftover person?

My dad was definitely the leftover person of the family growing up. He was always heating up the leftover lasagna or putting the extra meatballs on a sandwich. Every now and again we would have a "leftover dinner"... you know, a clean out the refrigerator because there are too many tupperware containers in there dinner. I think I always enjoyed them because you got to eat a little bit of everything. And you know I love just about everything food related.

These days, leftovers are an inevitable part of my cooking. Sometimes I do the cooking for one but many times I'll make enough for 2-6 either because the recipe goes that way or so that I can have leftovers for lunch the next day. Every now and then, I like to repurpose my leftovers into something new. Here are two of my favs. Honestly, you don't have to use pulled pork and coleslaw; these are good with just about whatever you want to stuff into them.

Leftover Pulled Pork Spring Rolls and Wonton Tacos
Ingredients:
Leftover pulled pork
Leftover vinaigrette coleslaw
wonton or egg roll wrappers

Directions:

For the spring rolls, lay the egg roll wrappers on a clean surface. Place about 1 tbsp pulled pork and 1 tbsp coleslaw on each wrapper. Fold and roll up, sealing with water. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat the tops with cooking spray. Bake at 425F for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

For the wonton tacos, place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Drape the wonton wrappers over the rack. Bake at 400 F for about 3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Fill the tacos with leftover pulled pork and coleslaw.

Chicken Week- Day 5- More leftover chicken ideas!!!

Are you looking for additional leftover chicken recipes? Visit the Recipe Archive and scroll to the Chicken and Turkey section. Or click the label chicken under any of the recipes this week. To help guide you, I have made some suggestions below:

Chop it and toss it on top of a salad (caesar, greek, kale, taco) for a quick and easy refreshing summer meal.

Alternatively bake it into an enchilada (buffalo, traditional, or creamy avocado).

Chicken soups are always great for leftovers (chicken noodle soup or chicken and bean soup).

Do you need something quick and easy? Make yourself a quesadilla or mix it with some marinara sauce and serve over pasta.

Of course, pot pies are always a good choice.


As always, I'm a recipe collector and food blog reader so I've put together a little list of what I want to make with my next set of leftover chicken. Maybe you'll like them too?

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup by Iowa Girl Eats
Chicken Broccoli Casserole Cobbler by A Cozy Kitchen
Buffalo Chicken Pull-Apart Bread by BevCooks
Thai Chicken Pizza from Better Recipes
BBQ Chicken Calzones by How Sweet Eats
Pesto Chicken Salad by Pass the Sushi


Do you have any go-to recipes for leftover chicken? Leave me a comment below with suggestions or links to recipes. I'd be happy to test them out! 

Chicken Week- Day 4- Buffalo Chicken Salad

Let's be honest. Did you really think I could make it through a week of chicken without throwing in some buffalo sauce? Of course not! I know that I already posted the best chicken salad but this one is giving it a run for its money. Creamy buffalo and yogurt sauce with crunchy carrots and celery. Plus blue cheese.

Sign me up.

1 million times over.

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup diced cooked chicken
1 celery stalk, diced
4 baby carrots, thinly sliced
1 green onion, diced
1/8 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2-2 tbsp buffalo sauce


Directions:
In a bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, carrots, green onion, and blue cheese. Mix together the yogurt and buffalo sauce in another bowl, then pour over the chicken mixture and stir together.

Serve as a sandwich or wrap with lettuce and tomato. Or serve on crackers or pita chips. Or eat with a spoon. No judgement here.

Chicken Week- Day 3- Barbecue Chicken Pizza

You know what's funny?

When you are driving home after a long day at work with the radio on and the windows rolled down. You pull up to a stoplight behind another car and the people in it are rocking out to the same song that is blaring on your radio. Like all out dancing in the car.

Now I don't judge. And especially not people who are having fun and enjoying life, but this sight just started me laughing-- down to the depths of my belly laughing. I giggled the rest of the way home. It was probably so humorous because I could imagine myself in that car with any of my good friends doing the exact same thing. I never realized how ridiculous yet care-free we looked to the world. Ahh... the memories.

This bbq chicken pizza is almost as care-free as dancing in the car to your favorite song. Well, it certainly it super easy.... especially when you have leftover chicken in the fridge. This last time I made pizza dough, I used a combination of bread flour with whole wheat and rye bread (2 cups, 1 cup, 1 cup). The nuttier flavor of the dough worked perfectly with the bbq chicken.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:
1/3 cup diced cooked chicken
2 tbsp barbecue sauce of choice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, plus more for serving
1 green onion, sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/5 homemade pizza dough (or single serving storebought pizza dough)
shredded parmesan, for serving

Directions:
Thaw frozen pizza dough in the fridge over the course of the day.

Preheat oven to 500 F. Place a baking stone or upside down baking sheet in the oven during the preheating process.

Remove the dough from the fridge and place the ball on a clean surface and cover with a damp cloth. Let sit for 10-30 minutes while the oven reaches temperature.

Mix together the diced chicken, barbecue sauce, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper and white part of the green onion.

Stretch the dough into a flat shape. Remove the baking stone from the oven and place the dough on top of it. Quickly spread the barbecue mixture over most of the dough; top with the cheese.

Bake for 7-8 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is hot. Remove and top with green parts of onion, additional CRP and parmesan cheese. Let cool 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serves 1.

Chicken Week- Day 2- The Best Chicken Salad

I really meant to post everyday this week. That's part of the reason I decided to do another theme week. But yesterday afternoon I had to leave work because I was not feeling well. That meant I spent the remainder of the afternoon asleep on my couch before crashing for the night in my bed. That also meant that I didn't open up my computer to finish this post and tell you about "the best chicken salad". Sorry!


We've had the miracle whip vs mayonnaise discussion before. The last time I fell into the miracle whip category while I was enjoying my tuna salad. However, now we're talking chicken salad and I'm switching camps to mayonnaise. Like I always am with food, I appreciate it all. There is a time and a place for them all... aka the time and the place for Reeses pieces is whenever and where ever I can get my hands on them and the time and the place for Sprite Zero and saltines is when I'm sick and laying on my couch...

In order to make the best chicken salad, mayonnaise is essential. Plus you need a tart apple and some walnuts for texture. And dried cranberries to sweeten it. A little bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper and we are rocking. It is best served on a croissant but unfortunately I couldn't find any in my grocery store's baked good section so I went with a whole wheat ciabatta roll. The recipe below is for about 1 serving; you can definitely double it or quadruple it to make enough for the family. Because of the apple and my desire to not eat soggy walnuts, I suggest making it fresh on the day you are going to serve it. The leftovers are okay but definitely not the best anymore.

The Best Chicken Salad*
Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
1/3 granny smith apple, diced
2 tbsp craisins
1 tbsp diced green onion
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tbsp light mayo
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the chicken, apple, craisins, green onion, and walnuts. Squeeze the lemon juice over the mayo and mix. Pour the dressing on to the chicken mixture and stir until coated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on your bread of choice.

*In my opinion

Turkey Enchiladas

I apologize for all the turkey recipes.

I'm actually done with all the leftover turkey in my house, but I have this ONE LAST recipe to share with you regarding what to do with your extras from Thanksgiving. Of course, you may already be done with your turkey and that is ALL GOOD. You can definitely sub in some CHICKEN for ANY of these recipes. So please bear with me for this last post and next week we'll be on to different things like COOKIES, SOUPS and other delights.

Why am I typing in ALL CAPS for SO MANY words today? Who knows? You just do the things that feel RIGHT. Am I right?

Let's talk about these enchiladas. I got it in my mind that I was going to make turkey enchiladas even before I left for Thanksgiving weekend. I saw this recipe and feel in LOVE. Just think, a spicy sweet cranberry tomato sauce smothered over deliciously filled tortillas. Yum! However, we didn't have any leftover cranberry sauce because we DEMOLISHED it in a blink of the eye. I debated purchasing a can or just making some more, but I decided instead to adapt my go-to red sauce enchiladas to incorporate the leftover turkey. Sooo YUMMY. Totally works with CHICKEN too. ;)

Turkey Enchiladas (adapted from Annie's Eats)
Ingredients:
1 tsp canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (include however many seeds you want for your spice threshold)
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
15 oz can tomato sauce
1 cup turkey stock (or vegetable broth)
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
10 8 inch corn tortillas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until they have softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and sugar and mix to coat the onion and pepper with the seasonings. Whisk in the tomato sauce, turkey stock and grape tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and mix to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes more.

Place a thin mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the liquid into the strainer to remove all of the solids. Combine the turkey and vegetable mixture with 1/4 cup sauce, 1 cup of cheese and the chopped parsley. Mix well.

Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray.

Microwave the corn tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel for about 1 minute so they are pliable. Add about 1/3 cup of the turkey mixture to the middle of each tortilla, roll up tightly and place in the baking pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Let cool slightly before serving. Garnish with sour cream and additionally chopped parsley.

Turkey Cubano

Can I get a "holla" for the Blue Express on Duke's campus?

For those of you who cannot understand the words coming out of my mouth (or should I say the words I have typed on your screen), you are missing out. Well, kinda. Campus food can be hit or miss, right? Connected to the building where I spent many of my waking hours during grad school hidden in a basement lab was the Blue Express, one the campus's dining establishments. Every day of the week (and every week was the same) they had a sandwich special. My first year I liked the Wednesday schwarma. Then I learned to enjoy the Thursday gyro or the Tuesday portabello on pita. But the sandwich that defined the end of my graduate career was definitely the Friday cubano. Grilled to perfection and seasoned with dill pickles, mustard and mayo, the ham and pork sammy was the goodness of Friday lunch. I was typically (and still am) a "bring your lunch to work" gal, but when I didn't have a lunch for Friday this was certainly the go-to.

Anywho... this recipe is the Blue Express cubano re-purposed in IL and with ingredients I found in my fridge last week... I used left over turkey from Thanksgiving in place of the pork, went for shredded swiss, and a wheat baguette from my freezer.

Really it's the combo of the mustard and pickle that just makes the sandwich for me.

No, Julie, you should not eat a dill pickle dunked in mustard; that would be bad.

Turkey Cubano
Ingredients:
2-3 slices leftover roasted turkey
2 slices deli ham
1 thinly sliced pickle
1 tsp deli mustard
1 oz swiss cheese (shredded or sliced)
6 inch baguette (I used my homemade wheat baguette), sliced in half

Directions:
Preheat oven, or toaster oven, to 400 F.

Spread the mustard on one side of the baguette. Top with the pickle, turkey, ham and cheese. Wrap with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Heat a large skillet (or panini press) to hot. Unwrap the sandwich and add to the hot pan. Press down with another large pan (or the top of the press) and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cut in half before serving.

Carolina Nachos

In honor of Duke's win over Kentucky last night, I bring you North Carolina Nachos! And no way do I mean that they are UNC nachos. Nachos inspired by the state of North Carolina that happens to be home to my most favorite basketball team ever-- DUKE!

You can literally turn anything into a good nacho dish, right? Here I went with leftover pulled pork and some swiss cheese. Topped it off with coleslaw in place of salsa. Delicious.

Get in there and check it out. And get ready for basketball season. :) I am!

LET'S GO DUKE!!!

Carolina Nachos
Ingredients:
Tortilla chips
Leftover pulled pork
Swiss cheese
Coleslaw (vinegar based)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Spread the tortilla chips on the aluminum foil. Top with shredded swiss cheese and pulled pork. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until cheese is melted and heated through. Remove from oven and top with coleslaw.

Pork Quesadillas

OH

EM

GEE

I am so sorry.



I've totally been slacking. I'll blame it on that cold I got last weekend and the fact that it apparently completely knocked me on my behind. Work has taken all my energy and when I've spent time at home, I've had just about enough left to sit on my couch or sleep in my bed. I really haven't done a lot. I also promise I haven't intentionally been ignoring you. Somehow the week went by and I didn't get to posting.

The plan was to post this recipe shortly after the pork in the crockpot and the burritos. Just to hit home the use of leftovers in unique and different ways. This is technically a leftover leftover meal. Because if you remember the chipotle bbq pork, I just used that to make this quesadilla.

So now:

"Knock it off, Napoleon! Make yourself a dang case-a-dill-a"

Chipotle Pork Quesadillas
Ingredients (per quesadilla):
1/4-1/3 cup chipotle barbecue pork
1/4-1/3 cup shredded cheese
10 inch flour tortilla
chopped lettuce
chopped tomato
chopped avocado
sour cream or Greek yogurt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Spread the pork on one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the pork. Fold the tortilla in half to enclose the filling.

Bake for 5-8 minutes until the cheese is melted. Turn on your broiler and broil until the top is golden brown, approximately 2 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes. Cut into triangles.

Serve topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado and sour cream, as desired.

Chipotle Barbecue Pork Burritos

Are you ready for the rain?

We are supposed to get up to 10 inches this weekend. I keep getting emails from campus and my apartment complex warning me to stay safe and dry. And you can totally tell that it is getting ready to pour. When you walk outside, it is like walking into a sauna, like someone just poured water over the hot coals and you are breathing in the vapors.

What to do this weekend to avoid the rain? Make some pork in your crock pot and re-purpose it into multiple dishes. Like these burritos. The bbq sauce is sweet and spicy. Adjust the amount of chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to your personal taste.

Chipotle Barbecue Pork Burritos
Ingredients:
For Pork:
1/8 cup ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp adobo sauce + 1/2 chopped chipotle pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 cup water
2 cups of chopped or shredded leftover pork

For Burrito Assembly:
10 inch flour tortillas
chopped green leaf lettuce
chopped avocado
chopped tomato
shredded cheese, whatever flavor you desire

Directions:
Combine all of the pork ingredients, except the water and the pork, in a small sauce pan. Mix and cook over medium heat until bubbling, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pork and water and stir to coat. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens around the pork about 2-3 minutes.

Assemble the burritos, by laying pork, lettuce, avocado, tomato and cheese on a tortilla. Fold in the sides and roll up tightly.