Luscious Leftovers

Too many days have gone by as I am establishing a new normal routine now that school is over here in Georgia. Much of my time is taken up by meal preparation, as it always is, being the lone vegan who also prepares non-vegan food for other family members. Now there are three meals a day, though, instead of our hurriedly fending for ourselves in the a.m., and lunches at school and work. So during this establishment of new practices, I can really appreciate leftover vegan food. I purposely make large portions, knowing they will come in handy when time is short later.

I typically serve food I think others might enjoy as my own main dish and a side dish for the meat- or cheese-eaters. Then I have enough to supplement each new foray into vegan experimentation for future meals for myself. At some point I may not need to make something new at all, I have so many leftover selections to combine in different ways.

This lovely plateful is actually a breakfast I prepared for myself (yes, this is what I was craving that morning!) and is comprised of selections from three consecutive days. There is wild rice from 3 days prior which had also been featured in salads and Alicia Silverstone's Soft Rice Porridge with umeboshi plum from the Kind Diet. There is Alicia's Kombucha Squash with Azuki Beans (again, from The Kind Diet) which I had prepared for dinner 2 days prior. Then there is broccoli rabe I had sauteed in olive oil and garlic the night before as a side dish to pasta with marinara. I simply plated everything that was left in the 'fridge and ate it cold, with a tiny sprinkle of kosher sea salt. It was very fortifying and energizing.

Tonight my husband said something about grilling a steak, so, pushing that image to the side, I realize that thinking of the grill has me hankering for a Field Roast apple sage "sausage" (so amazingly good!) -- He can grill that for me (separate tongs) and I will prepare pearl barley with onion, garlic and veggie broth for all of us. Finally, I need to check the garden. I think maybe the crookneck squash is getting big enough to serve as "baby squash" sauteed with mushrooms. Also, the arugula seems to have rebounded from my last cutting of it, and it looks like some radishes are ready too. So I can prepare a salad from these, topped off with the rest of an avocado I cut yesterday and some fresh lemon and olive oil.

All this lunchtime-planning for dinner is an example of what happens when my leftovers are all used up. Instead of adding one more option, I must start from scratch and multitask.  So, respect the noble leftover!