A Bright and Colorful Snack

I love beets. Crunchy red beets are my favorites. I can eat them raw or cook them any way I can think of; they are just great! I have been trying to get Rich, my husband, to eat beets but unfortunately, he hates beets... or does he?


I was at the farmers' market the other day looking for red beets. I couldn't find them but I saw beautiful golden beets that I couldn't resist. I got a bunch and brought them home. Then I thought to myself; "How can I get Rich to eat this?  Rich loves potato chips, he often eats them with his lunch. Bingo!  I'll make beet chips and while I'm at it, I'll throw in some butternut squash too; he'll love them."


A couple of days later, he was coming home for lunch and I prepared one of his favorite sandwiches - grilled cheese.  He says he likes my grilled cheese sandwiches because they have lots of cheese and they always have a surprise inside. This time I sautéed red onions and a couple of portabella mushrooms to put in with the cheese. I presented it to him accompanied with golden beet and butternut squash chips. At first he didn't know what it was. He started eating them and he said; "Umm, what are these? These are yummy." Although he ate more of the squash chips, he also ate a lot of the beet chips and he liked them! Which made me very happy because now I can buy them more often and we can enjoy a bright and colorful snack.

Butternut Squash and Golden Beets Chips
2 golden beets, peeled
1 small butternut squash, peeled
Enough oil to fry the vegetables (I used peanut oil but if not available, use another vegetable oil)
Sea salt to sprinkle over the chips

Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, thinly slice the vegetables. Arrange, in a single layer, on a paper towel to dry. Meanwhile in a deep heavy pan heat the oil to a temperature of 375°F (if you don't have a thermometer you can test it by adding a small piece of dried bread. If it floats and becomes golden in 30-60 seconds the oil is ready).  Fry your vegetables in small batches to avoid cooling the oil too fast. Place a few slices in the oil and let them cook for 2-3 minutes turning them once; the beets take longer than the squash. They are ready when they start curving on the sides and they come up to the surface. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper towel or a paper bag. Sprinkle with sea salt while they are hot. Enjoy with your favorite sandwich or eat alone as a healthy snack.

The Other Kind of Leftovers

Leftover meals are some of the best food, some people say and I agree! There is nothing better then a fried tamal the day after Christmas, or reheated chilaquiles for lunch (chilaquiles are a breakfast meal). These are one kind of leftovers but there is another kind of leftover food that forces me to be creative with dinners.

Towards the end of the week, when almost all my groceries are gone and I don't feel like going grocery shopping, I have to use the little pieces and bits of leftover produce, cheese and sauces that are in my fridge. I don't know why but at the end of the week, I always end up with little containers of tomato sauce. Plastic bags that store a piece of vegetable or three or four green beans, or a very small amount of cheese but I don't have any tortillas to make a quesadilla and there are no more leftovers from last night's dinner. This is when I ask myself; What should we have for dinner? It is time for the other kind of leftovers.

Here are two very good dinners that I made with leftover food. They turned out very nice!

Eggplant Rolls

(with leftover

lasagna ingredients)

2 thin slices (length wise) of eggplant

4 T of cheese mixture (ricotta, parmesan, egg, crushed red pepper, and black pepper)

1/2 c homemade marinara sauce (this is what made this meal special!)

2 slices of mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350°

Blanch the eggplant slices in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl full of cold water to stop the cooking. When cold enough to handle, spread 2 Ts of cheese mixture on each slice of eggplant, form into a roll and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour the sauce over the rolls and bake covered for approximately 15 minutes. Top each roll with 1 slice of mozzarella, and continue baking until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Gilled Cheese Sandwich and Veggies

(with leftovers cheeses, green beans and fennel)

For the sandwich:

1 Ciabatta bread, sliced

mayonnaise

2-4 slices of cheese (my leftovers were colby jack, fontina and ricotta salata)

3-4 spinach leaves

Spread the inside of the bread with as little or as much mayonnaise as you like, top one half of the bread with layers of cheese, spinach and more cheese and cover with the other half of bread. Grill in a panini press or a griddle until the cheese melts. The ricotta will not melt but it gives this sandwich a very nice salty flavor.

For the veggies:

1T olive oil

1 handful of green beans, trimmed

1/4 head of fennel, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

salt and black pepper to taste

In a shallow pan, heat the oil, add the veggies and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until desired doneness (I like them crunchy). Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Para leer en Español pulse aquí: La Otra Clase de Sobrantes