Great Ideas for left over roast

I love a roast dinner, especially on a Sunday when I generally have more time to prepare all the vegetables.

I grow a lot of my own vegetables and there is nothing more satisfying than putting on my wellies, heading into my vegetable patch, picking my vegetables and then serving them with my Sunday roast!  At the moment my vegetable plot has parsnips, beetroot, butternut squash, sprouts, purple sprouting & leeks.  I still have potatoes from this years crop stored in a cool, dark corner of the garage and an abundance of home grown vegetables in the freezer which I froze earlier in the season.

Although you may think using a joint of meat for your roast is expensive - think again.  If you use all the leftovers and make stock from the bones your joint of meat will make more than one meal.  It is also so much nicer to cook the roast vegetables around the joint so they absorb all the lovely flavors. The meat juices can be added to your gravy for that extra taste.  Remember the stock from the bones can be frozen and used another time as a base for:-

• Gravy
• Soup
• Curry
• Chilli
• Stew

Your homemade stock will be tastier and healthier than the shop bought alternative and your homemade version will have no added salts, colorings and preservatives.

Here are a few delicious ideas for your meat and vegetable leftovers:-

• Stew
• Curry
• Risotto
• Bubble & Squeak
• Stir fry Vegetables

Or simply slice the meat and use cold in sandwiches for lunch boxes.

Keep following me and I will post recipes for you to try.

The Sunday roast is a dying tradition - let's bring it back and make the most of our leftovers!

5 Ways to use Breadcrumbs

Leftover Bread.

I make bread in my bread maker daily - it's so much healthier than store bought bread which can sit on shelves for weeks and is packed full of preservatives.

Rather than just throwing away any excess, I always make breadcrumbs with my leftover bread and freeze this for use at a later date.  Making breadcrumbs is so easy – just put in a blender or mixer and whizz.  Remember you can make breadcrumbs from any type of bread: sliced, wholemeal, ciabatta, garlic bread etc.

Here are some great ideas for breadcrumbs.

1. Topping for fish pie – sprinkle over the mashed potato for a lovely crispy texture or if you prefer for a low carb option replace the potato with a small sprinkle of breadcrumbs.

2. Stuffing – add to sausage meat with your favourite herbs and seasoning for great stuffing.  For a vegetarian option leave out the sausage meat. 

3. Nut Roast – why not have vegetarian roast for change?  There's loads of flavour in a nut roast, and breadcrumbs give it great texture.

4. Fish Goujons – for a healthy fish dish simply cut some fish fillets into strips, coat in breadcrumbs and oven bake. 

5. Chicken nuggets – simply cut your chicken into a size of your choice, coat with breadcrumbs and oven bake.  For a twist why not add a fajita or Cajun seasoning to the breadcrumbs.

TOP TIP - Freeze the breadcrumbs in small portions in sandwich bags and remember to write the date on the bags so you can use the oldest date first!

TOP TIP - To help the breadcrumbs stick to the fish or chicken, first roll the fish or chicken in flour then roll in a beaten egg and finally roll in the breadcrumbs!

http://www.elizabethskitchendiary.co.uk/no-waste-food-challenge/