Rotisserie Chicken Bentos

I posted last week about my chicken chili made of leftovers including some shredded rotisserie chicken. I didn't have any pictures at the time, but I later managed to take a picture of my chicken chili bento, eaten with a few slices of a delicious sunflower seed honey bread.

I had a small serving of shredded chicken leftover which I used for a very simple bento with leftover roasted brussels sprouts and frozen rice. I tossed the chicken with a small splash of soy sauce which helped both flavor and moisten it.

This is just a sampling of the 101 ways to use a rotisserie chicken!

Acorn Squash and Bacon Bread Pudding

I recently found myself with a stale half loaf of very nice bread from the farmer's market. Being the thrifty person I am, I started brainstorming ideas for what to do with it. Freezing and reheating to eat as normal bread was no longer an option since the bread was almost rock hard. I could have ground it up for bread crumbs but I rarely use them and really - half a loaf's worth of bread crumbs?? So my mind turned to savory bread pudding, something I'd never eaten before but for some reason, that's what popped into my head.

I ended up adapting this recipe from Cooking Light, using acorn instead of butternut squash and adding bacon and frozen spinach (the latter counteracts the unhealthiness of the former, right??). I also used only 3 eggs with no additional egg whites, and omitted the nutmeg (have never been very fond of the stuff except in pumpkin pies). I was surprised and pleased with the results - a gorgeous crusty top and a soft custardy interior. The bacon definitely helped as it probably would have been a bit bland otherwise. Yum!

It also made a really nice bento atop a bed of arugula with some juicy tomato slices alongside. I took this to class, extracted the bread pudding and heated it in the microwave, tossed the arugula and tomato with a bit of italian dressing, then put the warm bread pudding back on top to slightly wilt the arugula. It was a totally delicious and gourmet-looking dinner!

Chicken Chili

I've mentioned before that I love being able to create something new out of leftovers, and my latest creation was supremely satisfying. I added pantry items to my leftovers for two hearty and delicious servings of chicken chili, all cooked up in less than an hour (most of the time allotted to simmering on the stove). No pictures (ate it too fast) but here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:
3 very ripe tomatoes, diced with juices saved
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can beans (pinto, black, kidney - doesn't matter), rinsed
-- save about 1/2 can liquid
-- mash 1/4 can beans and leave the rest whole
couple handfuls frozen corn
1 cooked chicken thigh or breast, shredded with skin removed
chopped parsley or cilantro
taco seasoning (mixture of cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, chili powder, and red pepper flakes)
salt and pepper
olive oil

In a large saute pan over medium heat, sweat onions 5 minutes or until translucent and tender. Add green pepper and garlic, cook for another few minutes, then add tomatoes with juice, whole and mashed beans, bean liquid, and corn. Season with taco seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken and parsley, let warm through, then remove from heat. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream as desired.

Unhealthy Weekend Eating

It was a rather fatty and cholesterol-laden weekend. Starting with pizza and fries for dinner Friday night, then an egg over easy and leftover pizza on Saturday morning, continuing with shrimp pasta for both dinner that night and lunch the next day, and finally ending with baby back ribs for Sunday dinner. Oh, not to mention the impromptu batch of cheddar rosemary garlic biscuits I whipped up to go with the ribs.

The biscuits were pretty darn good though, and came out well even for me! Usually my biscuits are hard and dense. These weren't as fluffy as I would have liked but definitely flakey and flavorful. I followed this recipe without the kneading (that tends to make biscuits more dense and tough) and brushed the tops with butter before baking. I also cut the biscuits into squares to avoid waste, then rounded the corners by molding them in my hands. Finally, I had to jazz them up so I added a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of rosemary, and a handful of shredded cheese. Definitely will make again!

Lazy Me

Two days of eating out for lunch totally messed up my food diary. Thursday, we had another team lunch at Cafe Deluxe and I was too embarrassed to ask for a nutrition fact sheet. Yes, I am a wuss! I could try to come up with the nutritional information by looking up each separate ingredient, but a) I am too lazy and b) I probably don't want to know! Cafe Deluxe has fabulous gruyere mac and cheese, so I split a side of that with a coworker IN ADDITION to my grilled chicken, avocado, and onion sandwich with fries. And two Cokes. *shame*

For dinner Thursday, I had leftover Shepherd's Pie, which I made for dinner Wednesday with the boyfriend. I also ate Shepherd's Pie for lunch yesterday (not one to waste food) followed by an exorbitant amount of beers at happy hour and a couple slices of pizza for late-night dinner. What a healthy few days this has been!

I'll probably try to count the calories for yesterday's meals and definitely will start over today. First thing on my menu is a sunny-side up egg from the Farmer's Market last weekend. Yum!