Leftover Veggie Re-Mix

I'm teaching this old dog blogger a few new tricks. 

I'm usually a veggie hog and will eat absolutely everything I cook without sparing a single spinach leaf, but running out of veggies week after week and being ridiculously cranky about the whole ordeal is teaching me to store. store. store.   Well... at least enough for two meals instead of one =)  Baby steps!

The Veggie Mix:

Instead of cooking up enough mushrooms and spinach for one meal I decided it was a way better idea to cook all the mushrooms [an entire 10oz package] along with the remaining 1/2 a box-o-organic spinach I had on hand and save the leftovers.  I sauteed them in a splash of olive oil with minced garlic, salt, and black pepper and planned out two meals instead of my usual one.  The first pile o veggies went onto a crusty french bread pizza for lunch and I used the remaining cup of veg for some Italian-style falafel "meat"balls the next day.  

Having pre-prepped, pre-cooked veggies on hand?  

Totally might be the new trend around here!

 French Bread Veggie Pizza

 

Shortcut Version:

1 frozen french bread pizza
a delicious heaping pile of sauteed veggies [see above]
parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes for topping

From-Scratch Version:

1/2 whole grain french baguette
a few tablespoons of marinara or spaghetti sauce
a handful of shredded parm and mozzarella cheeses
sauteed veggies [see above]
zesty little red pepper flakes for topping

Veggified Italian-Style Falafel

What's in it?

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup of leftover veggies [see above]
1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning blend, plus a little extra, to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and onion powder, to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to incorporate.  Roll mixture into balls and bake on an olive oil greased baking tin at 375F for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.  Serve with your favorite sauce!  I tried a few of these with sweet and spicy barbeque sauce and scarfed the rest with some tangy cucumber-filled tzatziki sauce.  Marinara sauce would rock too!  Its nearly impossible to bore of falafel-esque creations thanks to the endless combos of spices and sauces.  Keep experimenting to find your fav!

 

During the spring and summertime I keep raw, chopped veggies on hand in a "junk bowl" and now during the winter I'm totally going to make various sauteed "veggie mix" combos like the one mentioned above to cut down on prep time and give an easy veggie boost to meals.  Anyone with me? =)