You Hate Leftovers? No Way… and Big Boy Burritos

I recently had an interesting conversation with a guy about leftovers. I am leftover obsessed and he was telling how much he absolutely HATES them. After talking  about soggy casseroles, spoonfuls of peas, and one bite of this and that thrown back on a plate and stuck in the microwave, I almost agreed with him. GAAARRRROSSS.

It occurred to me that whenever I use leftovers, I rarely ever eat them in exactly the same way. I always turn them in to something completely different, so instead of boringly eating the same meal, I just have half of the leg work done for me when beginning my next meal.

Case in point: Last night’s burritos. I call them Big Boy Burritos because they are almost too stuffed to fit into a tortilla. Good news? You don’t need any sides. All of your veggies and protein are wrapped up into one filling bundle. Yum!

The day before I  made Steak and Veggie Kabobs and had a lot leftover. I made leftovers on purpose so I could have steak, veggies, and rice already done for a quick meal later. If you think ahead, you can make weeknight dinners a breeze for nights when you’re in a hurry.

Big Boy Burritos

Servings: However much you have leftover.
Time: 10 minutes, max
Level: Easy

Steak or chicken, cooked
Veggies, cooked
Salsa
Rice
Black Beans
Tortillas
Sour cream
Cheese, shredded

Slice meat and veggies into bite sized pieces.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat meat, veggies, a few spoonfuls of salsa, rice, and black beans until warmed throughout.

Microwave tortillas for 15 seconds to help them become more pliable. Top tortillas with desired amounts of salsa and sour cream. Top with warmed meat mixture and a little cheese. Wrap it up and you’re good to go! Yum!

Steak and Veggie Kabobs

This marinade isn’t true to the original recipe because I couldn’t remember it exactly but comes from a great friend and amazing lasagna maker, Web. He made it for us a few weeks back and they were amazing!

Summertime screams “Turn on the Grill!” so that is just what we did. What better way to beat the 100° weather than to spend time outside over a fiery grill? Kidding… it always takes some convincing in this hot humidity to get the grill going in our house but tonight, it was well worth it.

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Steak and Veggie Kabobs

Time: 24 hours… but seriously about 10-15 minutes to prepare
Servings: 4-6
Level: Easy

Marinade:
1 c. Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 c. Worcestershire
1/2 c. Dale’s Low Sodium Steak Seasoning (picture in slideshow)
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Kabobs:
1 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, or your favorite cut of beef… almost anything will do, cut into big bite sized pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 green bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 package white button mushrooms, cut in half, length wise

In a long dish, whisk marinade ingredients together. Add meat and veggies.

Toss to coat. Cover dish in plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the fridge, stirring once or twice throughout the day.

When ready to grill, thread meat and veggies on skewers.

Grill over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning often to ensure even grilling.

Yum!

Tips
– Serve with a side of brown rice.
– Skewer pineapple and grill for a sweet addition.
– Use leftovers to make steak fajitas.

In Honor of Cinco de Mayo…

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Cinco de Mayo… Ahh, what a delicious holiday. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s a holiday that celebrates  Mexico’s victory over the French on May 5, 1862.  But, dang, celebrating  their victory with a delicious dinner is just fine by me. Our neighbors to the south know what their doing when it comes to their amazing cuisine and I’m not ashamed of how much I love it!

If your going to be staying in this Cinco de Mayo or if you are planning on having a blow out fiesta with friends, check out these recipes below. I took a look back at my recipe collection and my love is clearly evident… I can’t say that ANY of these recipes are even slightly  authentic but they are definitely inspired by south of the border flavors.

Grab yourself a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa, maybe a margarita or two, and celebrate!

Enchilada Pie 

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (vegetarian and vegan)

Steak Fajitas

Mexican Cornbread

Quinoa Salsa Side Dish

Gringa Tostada

Fiesta Fritata

Baja Shrimp Tacos with a Corn and Radish Salad

Steak Fajitas

Well, after a WONDERFUL dinner of Signature Steaks we had a ton of leftovers. Our rib eyes were bigger than our stomachs, I guess. Anyway, we decided to make steak fajitas and they turned out delish! Ya gotta love a Mexican fiesta on a weekday night.

Steak Fajitas

Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings: 4

1 large rib eye (or honestly, just enough cooked steak to feed 4 people, whatever the cut)
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 fresh jalapeño, finely diced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 onion

Slice steak, bell peppers, and onion thin.

Mix lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and jalapeño together and pour over sliced steak.

Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour. Wipe off garlic and jalapeños before cooking if desired. Cook steak, peppers, and onions in a skillet over medium-high heat until peppers and onions are tender but still crisp. Yum!

Tips
– You can use chicken instead, or mix both!
– Serve in warm tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and other traditional fajita toppings.
– Squeeze a little lemon or lime juice over the top of the finished product for a fresh twist.

Signature Steaks

This steak recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket. It is super easy and besides the actual steaks, all of the ingredients are things you probably have on hand. We found this recipe in a newspaper article. It happens to be the favorite steak recipe of Adam Levine from the band Maroon 5.

The honey in this recipe is the key. Don’t try to use honey Dijon mustard as a short cut… well, you can and it would probably work, but the honey makes these steaks! When they char over the heat of the grill, they get toasty and smoky, and just plain awesome!

Signature Steaks

Time: about 45 minutes from beginning to end
Level: Medium
Servings: 4-6

4 rib eye steaks

Marinade:
1 c. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. honey
salt, to taste
generous splash of Worcestershire

Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high. Remove chilled marinade from refrigerator and coat the steaks. Grill over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes each side for medium rare.

Serve steaks whole or, for a large group, slice steaks thin and arrange on a platter so guests can serve themselves. Yum!

Tips
– These steaks are great served with fingerling potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with thyme, salt, and pepper. Just throw them in the oven after you make the marinade.

– Keep your leftovers for use in quesadillas, fajitas, steak sandwiches, steak salad, etc.