Clever leftovers: Chicken Salad

We always have a lot of leftover chicken around here. I simply can't seem to cook a normal amount of chicken. It's always got to be a ton. It's kind of like spaghetti.

Which is why I have another edition of Clever Leftovers, Featuring: Chicken!

This particular leftover chicken was some chicken breasts + rosemary + garlic in a crock pot with a bit of water. Served with carrots and potatoes for dinner yesterday.

The cold leftover chicken (and a few of the carrots) got tossed into a bowl, with:

• 1/2 sad zucchini, shredded
• pickle relish
• halved cherry tomatoes
• mayo
• salt and pepper
• celery

Stir together and serve. My original plan was to serve with lettuce inception-style (chicken salad salad), but the lettuce I bought Saturday was already slimy by today. The never-ending frustration with fresh produce. Sometimes salad greens last for weeks, sometimes they last for 3 days.

So, I ate it with some GF organic Tostito's scoops. In fact, we're going to a BYOSnack neighborhood night out party this weekend and I think I'm going to bring [a fresh batch of] chicken salad scooped into those. Fancy.

Pumpkin Chili

Or, more accurate, make regular old chili but hide the leftover pumpkin puree in it. Because Suzy  even suggested it and I was already thinking about it which means it's fate.

Make it even better- take this opportunity to use up old sad veggies! Which is why I added zucchini. Poor, sad zucchini. Squash on squash.

The chili doesn't taste like pumpkin. It's possibly a smidge sweet, but not noticeably so. Pumpkin gives it a nice texture and an extra layer of flavor in the background. I would not hesitate to hide leftover pumpkin in chili again. It just works.

I didn't tell hubs the secret ingredient until we were done eating dinner and he cleaned his bowl. Without any encouragement, I might add.

Muahahaha he is an unwilling participant in the pumpkin trend that I demand he partake in every fall. When you're the cook, you get to make demands like that.

Chili (+ pumpkin)

Brown some ground beef in a pot. Add in some chopped onion and celery and cook until soft.

Stir in 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of kidney beans, chopped zucchini. Do not drain the tomatoes or beans; dump in the whole can, juice and all.

Stir in leftover pumpkin puree.

Stir in seasonings:
2 T. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder


If it's thick, stir in a little water. I like my chili on the thick side so I don't add much water.

Simmer until everything is heated through and the veggies are tender. Serve with cornbread.

Enjoy the pumpkin season!

Psssstttt: More Pumpkin.
.

This week's menu

I opened the door this morning and was greeted by sweet, fresh, cool air. Not exactly the cold bite I usually start waiting for this time of year, but refreshing anyway. It's okay to turn the oven on again. (Which means granola is in the oven right now)

Here's the menu for this week:

Monday- Spinach artichoke chicken with brown rice
Tuesday- Pork chops with glazed carrots
Wednesday- Pizza
Thursday- Grilled steaks with smashed potatoes and broccoli
Friday- Black bean and quinoa chili

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuit Crust

Pretty much any chicken leftovers get turned into Chicken Tortilla Soup or Chicken Pot Pie. Lately, I've been partial to Chicken Pot Pie.

I've posted before about Chicken Pot Pie, but using the ready-made Pillsbury GF Pie Crust. Honestly, I usually make it with a biscuit crust. Much tastier, less greasy, without an aftertaste. I've made it in a pie tin, cupcake-size, and-between with fantastic results. It even freezes well, if there are any leftovers.

So here you go.
Make a batch of biscuits. Split it in half. Press the first half into the pie pan.

Fill with leftover chicken + vegetables.

Press the second half of biscuit dough into flat pieces and place on top.

Bake at 450 until the middle starts to bubble. Eat dinner.

This week's menu

Things have been weird for us lately. I'm waiting on a response that could seriously change my daily life. School has started for Chris, and he's settling into that groove. The weather is ever-so-slightly tilting away from sweltering and towards pumpkin spice, but it's still hanging onto the humidity for dear life.

I wake up every day determined to make a change for the better, with all its intimidations and anxieties. Makes for some longg days, as there's only so much you can do while waiting for someone else to help make that decision.

Food wise:
There's still a ton of food in the freezer, so this week I'll be creatively trying to use it all.
Leftover chicken goes into a pot pie
Leftover beans go into quesadillas
Leftover soup (that I initially forgot to season) will either be chili-like or tortilla-soup-like, depending on which way I season. Horray for scrap meals!


Monday- We'll probably be eating the food mom sent us home with yesterday. Burgers and beans and, if anyone needs me, I'll be hoarding the potato salad all to myself.
Tuesday- Chicken Pot Pies
Wednesday- Pinto bean quesadillas
Thursday- Black bean and quinoa chili leftovers
Friday- Shrimp and grits