Repurposing Leftovers To Make Delicious Meals

Over and beyond the financial costs, food waste has serious consequences for the environment. The Natural Resource Defense Council estimates that American households waste 30–40% of their food annually. This is a terrible waste of resources, both monetarily and in terms of the time, effort, and fuel required to raise, harvest, and transport the food to its final destination. Reusing leftovers in new meals can minimize family food waste. As a result, all the perishable food in the house will be used. Some other methods for accomplishing that goal are listed below.

Win a copy of Flavorbomb

Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better is a cookbook with a singular goal: to help us become better cooks. Author Bob Blumer shares all the tips, tricks, hacks, and techniques he learned from hosting Food Network shows, breaking Guinness World Records, working with some of world’s best chefs, and crashing food stalls around the globe.

Afternoon Cake

This delicious Afternoon Cake recipe from Small Victories cookbook by Julia Turshen is easy to make and tastes fabulous on it own or with a cup of tea or coffee. The author has plenty of recipes perfect for home cooking, and suggests variations within the recipes.

Frozen Themed Recipe Kits for Children

My children have been enjoying making popsicles and baking a variety of Disney's Frozen themed fun meals and desserts using the Icicle Pops and Cool Creations Kit, and the Cookbook and Cookie Cutters Kit.

Inspiring Cookbooks

I enjoy baking and cooking recipes from different cuisines. I find colourful and detailed cookbooks are an inspiration to try different recipes, and a delicious way to introduce healthy and flavourful dishes to family and friends. The books below are a few that I enjoy baking and cooking from.

Macarons and Desserts Book Giveaway

I love making desserts, but mostly enjoy eating them! My family encourages me to bake desserts more than healthy meals :)

Soft Boiled Eggs and Ramen Fusion Cookbook Giveaway

With a new year comes many reminders for us to make new resolutions! However, I like making goals and resolutions throughout the year. Incorporating meals from different cuisines is an exciting way to start of 2016, so I explored Ramen dishes from Japanese cuisine. I learned a lot about these dishes from the DK Ramen Fusion Cookbook by Nell Benton and from watching The Mind of a Chef Season 1 Episode 1 on Netflix. 

Warm French Molten Chocolate Cake With Whipped Cream

February is a month where love is celebrated, and many of us are looking for delicious recipes that we can make to impress our loved ones. I think topping our desserts, special breakfasts and beverages with whipped cream makes it extra special. My family and I enjoy whipped cream and use it a lot during the cold months over warm desserts and hot beverages like hot chocolate.

Beans with almonds

“The I Love Trader Joe’s Vegetarian Cookbook” is the third vegetarian/vegan-themed cookbook from Kris Holechek Peters.
The book has 150 delicious, budget-friendly vegetarian (and vegan) options from breakfast to dinner and everything in between.  Some examples of recipes in the book are Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes, Herbed Garlic Polenta Fries, Tuscan Tomato Soup, Tempeh Tacos and Pumpkin Spice Cobbler.  
I am not aware of TJ's or Trader Joe's myself, however the author believes that this company has quality food without GMOs, hydrogenated fats or food colouring.   This book is independently authored and published, and is not affiliated or associated with Trader Joe’s® Company.
 
I got to know a bit more about Rennet after reading this book.  Rennet is an ingredient found in cheese, which could have been derived from either animal intestine or microbial plants.  I don't buy cheese that has Rennet because the labels do not mention the source of Rennet.  Knowing this source of Rennet is important for vegetarian and people who have religious dietary restrictions.  The author says, that TJ's solves this problem by labelling the source of Rennet in the cheese that is sold there. 
Anyone with TJ's close by and would like to make vegan meals with fewer ingredients will benefit from this book.  

We enjoyed this Almond glazed green beans recipe from the book.
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cane sugar 
4 cups green beans
1/4 cup sliced almonds
salt and pepper *

* I didn't add salt or pepper and halved the recipe.  
In a large sauté pan, over medium heat add the butter, then whisk the soya sauce and sugar.  Add the beans and cook covered in low heat till the beans are cooked.  Sprinkle the almonds on top and serve.

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Mexican food recipes: Tortilla cookbook and Old El Paso kit giveaways

Tortillas to the rescue cookbook has about 100 quick and easy recipes.  All types of tortillas and its by products have been part of the author's life growing up in New Mexico.    Tortillas is an inexpensive meal that never goes stale, which can be eaten anytime of the day for any meal.  
This form of bread is simple to make with flour, fat and water, which is then pressed flat and cooked on a hot surface.  It was first made in 10,000 BC by a Mayan peasant for a king.  The peasant made the dough with dried corn kernels.  The maize or corn is soaked in alkaline solution (lemon-acid) before grinding into masa harina that is used to make corn tortillas.
Although there aren't any pictures in the book, the recipes are presented in a homely manner.  This book is available on amazon, bookstores and online.
After making tortillas at home, you will realize how easy it is and will be able to use the creative recipes from this book to make meals, desserts and snacks i.e. chips, rollups, tortilla cup desserts etc.

Giveaway:

If you would like to win a copy of this book please leave a comment on this post and enter through the rafflecopter below.  This book giveaway is open to people in US & Canada.  The giveaway ends on September 20th.

Update: The winner is Cindy

Unfortunately, the commercial tortillas have lots of chemicals and preservatives, which are not good.  The ingredient that is named L-cysteine, which is present in some breads, buns and tortillas are made with human hair, hog hair and duck feathers etc... here are more details about this.  Since the tortillas in the fajita kit has this ingredient I didn't use it and saved the tortillas to do some artwork.

There are some tortillas available without this nasty ingredient, so check before purchasing.
I made my own tortillas following the recipe from the Tortillas to the rescue cookbook.  It is very easy to make tortillas at home, hope you try it.

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup warm water (should be a little hot)

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and vegetable shortening and mix to make a crumble.  Add water little at a time to bring the dough together.  It should form a soft smooth dough, but not sticky.  
Leave it covered with a moist cloth for about 10 minutes or more.  Separate into 8 to 12 balls and keep it covered for another 10 minutes.

Roll it flat about 1/8", it has to be thin.  Heat a griddle or saucepan, when it is hot put the flattened dough and cook for 30 seconds or less both sides.  It should become slightly brown and you will see it puffing up.  Don't cook it for a long time or it will become too crispy and you will not be able to roll it.  
Keep it covered until it is used or put in a ziploc bag and leave it in the fridge for later use.  The tortillas can be warmed in the microwave or pan before using.

I made a salsa with watermelons, jalapeño, tomatoes, coriander leaves, red onion, minced garlic and salt.  Combine these ingredients and served chilled with chips, inside wraps or as a topping.

We enjoyed making tacos with the Old El-Paso taco dinner kit, which comes with 10 tacos, 2 tomato stir-in sauces and 1 zesty seasoning mix.

For the minced meat filling, I cooked...

2 cup of minced meat
1/2 tsp chillie powder
1/2 tsp chillie flakes
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp jalapeño chopped
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup onion chopped
2" cinnamon stick
1 to 2 cardamom
1 tsp garlic chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp coriander leaves

Heat oil, sauté the onions and garlic.  Then add the cinnamon stick, cardamom, minced meat and spices and stir fry.  Press the meat with the back of the spoon.  Cook lightly covered in medium heat.  
Add the tomatoes and jalapeño, cook until the meat is done.  If there is lots of iquid cook without the lid until the liquid evaporates.  Add the coriander leaves and remove from heat.  Keep it covered and serve warm.  
Fill the tacos and tortillas with meat, cheese, salad leaves, sauce, salsa, sour cream or seasoned yogurt or any other preferred topping and serve.

Giveaways from Old El Paso:

Get a free Old El Paso product by getting the coupon from the Life Made Delicious Facebook.

If you would like to win this kit of delicious products from Old El Paso please leave a comment on this post and enter through the rafflecopter below.
The kit includes Extra mild Taco dinner kit, Hot and spicy fajita dinner kit, Mild taco seasoning, salsa, refried beans, jar of jalapeño and a salsa bowl.

This Old El Paso kit giveaway open to Canadians ends on September 20th.
You can enter the giveaway at any of the hosting sites, but you can only win 1 prize.  To better your chances enter through all the sites.  The prize will come within 4-6 weeks after the giveaway ends.
Update: The winner is Odalinde


First Cheerios 
In September, General Mills will be having a mosaic of First Cheerios moments on the Life Made Delicious Facebook.  To celebrate the first finger foods for babies and parents across Canada the first thousand participants/per household who submit photos will get a coupon for a Free box of cheerios and the rest of the participants will get a $1.00 off coupon as a thank you.   
Watch for the mosaic on limited edition boxes of Cheerios in Spring 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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