December 7 Meal: Leftovers Can Be Lovely

Leftovers are the bane of some people's existence.  I don't mind them so much, but it does get old eating something over and over.  The great thing about these "leftovers" is that they are reinvented into a completely different meal.  The night before I had made a shrimp curry.  This night I was using the leftover curry in Spicy Shrimp Quesadillas.  Along with the quesadillas, I made Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Bacon and Mixed Greens with Pears, Walnuts, Gorgonzola, and Green-Tea Vinaigrette.  It was a lot of food, but we ended up having extra quesadilla leftover for lunch.  The gift that keeps on giving.

Spicy Shrimp Quesadillas

Start by draining any excess sauce form the curry and make sure the shrimp tails are removed.  Chop the shrimp and green beans with cilantro, jalapenos, and shallot.  Add lime juice.  Top a tortilla with the mixture, Jack Cheese, and top with another tortilla.  Cook on the stove top.  There is a recipe for a fresh orange and apple chutney to eat with the quesadillas, but I overlooked this.  I think it would be a great addition to the dish. 

Yuminess: 9 out of 10

Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Bacon

This is another recipe from the kiwi section this month that combined some interesting ingredients with a delicious outcome.  Cook up some bacon (#2 reason this couldn't go wrong).  Mix kiwi cubes with lime juice, honey, cilantro, green onions, and hot sauce.  Toast some ciabatta and top with mashed avocados (#1 reason this couldn't go wrong), bacon, and kiwi mixture.  The sweetness of the kiwi mixture is the perfect contrast to the bacon, with the avocado as a great base.

Yuminess: 10 out of 10


Mixed Greens with Pears, Walnuts, Gorgonzola, and Green-Tea Vinaigrette

Gorgonzola is my version of Shaun's (and many other people's) mushrooms.  It doesn't taste bad, but I just can't get over the mold.  This was a great recipe for a Gorgonzola hater.  The pears, walnuts, and dressing really contrast nicely with the bite of the cheese.  The dressing is made from Champagne vinegar, shallot, fresh chives, Dijon, dried basil, green-tea powder, corn oil, and olive oil.  I didn't fin the green-tea powder, so I just used some green tea leaf, and I didn't want to get corn oil, so I used a bit of canola. 

Yuminess: 9 out of 10