What to Do with Leftover Vegetables
So, it happens to all of us. We see bright, healthy, shiny, vegetables at the store and we think to ourselves, “I want to be healthy, therefore I will put these in my shopping cart!” But what happens when you get home is all too familiar – we go for the tasty stuff and vegetables somehow end up on an extended stay in your vegetable crisper, until you notice them a couple of weeks later and throw them out. Or maybe you actually use some of them, but because your are forced to buy a larger-than-needed quantity, the rest gets thrown out. It’s a shame.
But what if I told you that there is something you can do with those leftover veggies that is both, easy and delicious? Well, check this out!
By the end of the week, my fridge ends up with quite a collection of odds and ends, and so today – being a quiet Sunday – I decided to throw something together. With the vegetables that I dug up out of the crisper, I managed to make two really nice dishes. Recipes below.
Roast Vegetables with Horseradish Dijon and Basil Vinaigrette
Roast veggies with vinaigrette
Ingredients: (most rescued from the dark recesses of my fridge!)
- Leeks
- Asparagus
- Baby carrots
- Red potatoes
- Yellow and green bell peppers
- White onions
- 5 cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp Horseradish Dijon Mustard
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Place the following veggies on a non-stick baking sheet and roast until the skin on the peppers are black (about 20 minutes or so): yellow and green peppers (halved and cleaned out), 1/2 inch thick onion rings. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper on the onions.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Boil the leeks for about 15 minutes. Drain, remove and put on a serving platter. Boil the asparagus for 4 minutes. Drain, remove and put along side the leeks. Boil baby carrots and potatoes until each is done. Drain, add to the other veggies and let cool until room temp.
- Remove the veggies from the oven and lay them to rest with the other veggies. You can peel off the pepper skin once they cool down (optional).
- Serve warm or room temperature, drizzled with plenty of horseradish Dijon basil vinaigrette. Recipe below.
- NOTE: Refrigerate the leftovers and have them the next day. Take the out of the fridge and let them sit on your counter for an hour to bring them closer to room temp, or microwave them until slightly warm. They will pick up more flavor from the vinaigrette overnight.
Horseradish Dijon Basil Vinaigrette
Horseradish Dijon Basil Vinaigrette.
Instructions:
- Throw the following into your food processor and process into a smooth vinaigrette: garlic, parsley, basil, Dijon horseradish mustard, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Marinated Tomatoes, Onions and Cucumbers
Marinated tomatoes, white onions, and cucumbers.
I was also able to dig out some really beautiful organic field tomatoes, a cucumber and some delicate white onions from my fridge. So, guess what? I marinated those suckers! This is a recipe that I often include my BBQ menus. It’s tart, garlicky and refreshing.
By the way, you’re not supposed to refrigerate tomatoes because it kills them – turns the pulp into starch. But, sue me – I put them in there anyways (sometimes).
Ingredients:
- Tomatoes
- White onion
- Cucumber
- Peanut oil, or vegetable oil, or olive oil
- White vinegar
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Cut your tomatoes into wedges, slice your onions into half-rings, and slice your cucumbers. Put them in a bowl.
- Cover them half-way with a mixture of 3 parts vegetable oil to 1 part vinegar.
- Add garlic.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss, and refrigerate over night in a container with an air-tight lid. Enjoy the next day! Or if you have no patience for such things, eat them right away – you’re an adult! You can do what you want.