Thank God for Leftovers

The last post referenced the fantastic monthly family dinners my friends and I have been putting on--such a great time of yummy food, storytelling, and laughing!

The fabby Miss Abbey hosted this last time and prepared a delicious squash risotto--she was concerned because the texture was more dense than she had wanted, but I didn't care--the flavor was fantastic! So delicious, in fact, that I was happy she had made a huge recipe--I got to take home some leftovers :) My other friend Michael brought a incredibly delish Asian-inspired cole slaw that I will most certainly enjoy later this week.

Abbey gave me a big container of the risotto, and my brain started churning. I remember my mom taking left-over rice and mixing in egg, bread crumbs, veggies, and herbs and making some version of rice croquettes (basically fried balls or patties of rice). I stared at the risotto in the container and thought, oh yeah that's gonna be good. After surveying my fridge I ending up throwing in a bunch of things that needed to be used up (in true Frugal Foodie fashion)--and made some delicious Risotto Croquettes.

I was also inspired by a cucumber in my fridge that had been in there for far too long to admit to...and some radishes that I had been meaning to eat for a long time as well. In my run of frugality, I turned those items into a delicious Cucumber Radish Salad with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Dressing.

What I Used For Inspiration:

For the croquettes:

Leftover Risotto

Mushrooms

For the salad:

Cucumber

Radishes

Greek yogurt

Risotto Croquettes

3 C leftover risotto (or equal amount cooked rice)

10 oz mushrooms, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1 T dried parsley (or 1/4 C fresh minced)

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil for frying

In a pan, saute the mushrooms and garlic until soft (throw in some onion if you want, too!). In a bowl mix the risotto, mushroom and garlic with an egg, parm cheese, salt and pepper. The mixture should be firm enough to form into a patty and hold its shape. If it's too loose, add some breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan heat up some olive oil. Divide the rice mixture into small balls and flatten them out into patties. Fry on medium heat until nicely browned on both sides. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Radish Salad with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Dressing

1 English cucumber

6-8 large radishes

1/2 C plain greek yogurt

1 T mayonnaise or sour cream (optional)

2 tsp dried dill

1 clove garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

With a food processor (using shredding attachment) or box grater, grate cucumber and radishes. Put in strainer and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Finely mince or grate garlic using a microplane and put into bowl. Mix together with yogurt, mayo (or sour cream), and lemon juice. Add drained cucumber/radish and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This combination actually made for a pretty satisfying meal! The contrast between the warm crispy rice croquette and the cool, creamy cucumber salad was quite delicious. While the radishes don't impart a very strong flavor to the dish, the little specs of red make the salad look beautiful. A little creativity goes a long way in my kitchen! I hope this inspires you to take a second look at and revamp those left-overs instead of (God forbid!) throwing them out.