Leftovers

So I just finished a 3.2 mile run on this beautiful day and I'm feeling like I should continue this productive streak with a little bloggin'. I had been trying hard to think of a creative next post and I was running short on ideas (no pun intended ;). I remembered I had taken this picture of my dinner the other night...

and I thought I would share with you my week of leftovers. The above was my creation with leftover Asian Seared Tuna (please see previous post for that delicious recipe). I had a lot of fresh produce from the farmer's market, my Saturday routine, so I wanted to be sure to use it up before it went bad. This was the quickest dinner I have put together in a long time and it tasted totally gourmet!

So before I give you all the recipes let me just map out for you what my dinners looked like:

Day 1: Asian Seared Tuna served with Lemony Green Beans
Day 2: Tuna Salad My Way
Day 3: Lemon Chicken served with Couscous and fresh sauteed vegetables
Day 4: Lunch- Couscous Salad; Dinner- Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

I definitely got my money's worth with this weeks grocery trip! And I felt good about using up all of the delicious produce I had in my crisper. I was feeling very green.

Tuna Salad my way :) 
1 leftover Asian Seared Tuna Steak sliced to your desired thickness
1 handful of lemony green beans cut into bite sized pieces (see this post for tuna and bean recipes)
1 handful fresh cherry tomatoes halved
2 tbsp. wonton crisp strips (you can find these in the produce section near the croutons)
1/4 tsp. sesame seeds
1 cup arugula (or any kind of green)
1 cup baby spinach
2 tbsp. Newman's Own Light Sesame Ginger Dressing

I simply tossed everything together and sprinkled the sesame seeds on top. So easy and so delicious.

The lemon chicken and sauteed vegetables were exactly what they sound like so I won't waste any space with the recipe. But I will let you know the veggies I used: summer squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onion. For the couscous salad I raided my pantry to come up with a delicious, fresh lunch salad. I loosely based this recipe off of an orzo salad that I make often.

Couscous Salad
4 cups cooked leftover couscous (I used plain but I bet any of the flavored varieties would only add to the flavor of this dish)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 Tbsp. chopped pistachios
1/2 cup sliced english cucumber
1 large shallot, sliced
1 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 cup arugula
1/4 cup olive oil
the juice of 2 large lemons
salt and pepper

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl combine couscous, cranberries, cucumber, pistachios, and shallots. Once combined mix in arugula and crumble goat cheese on top. Pour lemon vinaigrette over the couscous and serve chilled!

This +

Couscous Salad

This=

Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas

2 leftover lemon chicken tenders, cubed

1/4 cup leftover sauteed vegetables

1 oz. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

2 whole wheat tortillas

1 Tbsp. reduced fat sour cream

2 Tbsp. salsa (your favorite kind, I used Trader Joe's Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa)

Using my always handy grill pan, I simply sprayed the pan with cooking spray- placed one tortilla on the  pan sprinkled half of the cheese on the tortilla- piled up the chicken, cilantro, and veggies- sprinkled the rest of the cheese on top then covered with second tortilla- then placed the panini press on top and cooked for about 4 minutes each side or until the cheese was melted and filling hot through- Served with the sour cream and salsa and voila leftovers made easy!