Recipe Remix

Repurpose is not just for furniture any more. With increased frequency, and out of economic necessity, we are being forced to be more mindful of using every bit of whatever it is we can afford. 

Yes, I'm talking food.

I grew up in a time where you might often hear the words "eat your vegetables, there are children starving in Africa." 

Truth is, there are children starving everywhere. And although eating our vegetables would have done nothing to change that, the sentiment, both to appreciate, and to not waste what we have, is a salient one. 

These days we call it "food insecure," which not only widens the umbrella to include those who are actively hungry but those who live in a constant state of not knowing where the next meal may come from. And then the one after that.

Moving from the macro to the micro, and from catastrophic global issues to the situations we're all facing in our grocery stores and our homes, my current focus on repurposing foods is not based in humanitarianism, but on scarcity and economy.

A FB friend, when recently viewing my recipe for Grilled Skirt Steak, told me she can't find skirt steak anywhere (you can use flank steak or flat iron steak, btw). I can't find bone in chicken breasts. And I think at this point sriracha is being considered for the EPA's endangered list.

When we do find some of the foods we want, the prices are astronomical. Many essentials have doubled in price, and then doubled again (eggs, I'm looking at you). Which moves more and more people towards becoming food insecure.

Those of us fortunate enough to be able to afford the ingredients we want or need, are now giving more thought to "waste not want not."

I'm not wasteful in general, but I do admit to forgetting about ingredients specifically, but even leftovers sometimes, until they reach the point where they're eligible for use in penicillin production. 

Not any more. I've become much more vigilant in my quest to be cognizant of what I have, and to use it all. I stay on top of freezing unused vegetables, and miscellaneous leftovers may end up as a buffet dinner, or in sandwiches. I've also focused on repurposing leftover foods in a more diverse and creative way. A recipe remix. When I add ingredients I already have in my pantry to make something completely different, it feels less like we're having the same dinner we'd just had.

Like, I made Greek Chicken Pot Pie from leftover Crockpot Chicken Soup. And even for dessert, I made Blueberry Maple Glazed Strawberry Cake from the Blueberry Maple Syrup I'd used on our Key Lime Pancakes.

I'd recently made a few new appetizers to try while Hubs and I had drinks on the deck. The recipes, of course, created way more food than we could eat. I later turned the leftover meat from one, Barbecued Pork Corn Chip Nachos into Barbecued Pork Enchiladas. 

I had also made Sweet Hot Mango Dip, and was trying to work through what to do with the 3/4 cup of dip I had left. I thought about using it as a sauce for Cod. Or maybe over vegetables, like snap peas.

The chicken sitting in the fridge made my decision for me. 

Sweet Hot Mango Chicken

 

I liked the idea of cooking the chicken in the dip (adding a few more ingredients) as opposed to just using the dip as a sauce. 

And, although we enjoy leftover buffets and leftover sandwiches, there's something really satisfying about the creativity, the accomplishment, of turning one (yummy) food into another, completely different but just as yummy, recipe.  

P.S.: There are charities, global and national, that could use financial assistance in any amount. On a more local level, food pantries in all communities are grateful for all nonperishable donations. Help, if you can.

Sweet Hot Mango Chicken         

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Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper, garlic powder

3/4 cup Sweet Hot Mango Dip (recipe HERE)

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp minced garlic

5 oz grape or cherry tomatoes

Directions:

*Grease a 8 X 11 baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place in the baking dish.

*Whisk together the Sweet Hot Mango Dip, lime juice, and garlic. Pour evenly over the chicken.

*Slice the tomatoes in half, and sprinkle over the top.

*Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked.