LITTLE ROCK — DEAR READERS: Here are some delicious ideas for leftover vegetables:
Think of them as the original precooked convenience food, and by adding some freshly browned onions or garlic, you'll have a new dish your family will love.
Heat up a can of broth or make some beef, chicken or vegetable bouillon; add spices and let all those vegetables simmer until hot, and you'll have a fast and healthy vegetable soup.
Mix leftover chilled, already-cooked vegetables with salad dressings or sandwich spreads, or just arrange them on top of lettuce and add your favorite dressing.
Cut or dice leftover potatoes, brown them with some onion and add eggs or egg substitute for a hearty breakfast or light supper. You can add diced red or green pepper for color or top with salsa or picante sauce.
Make a vegetable hash by frying leftover mixed vegetables - such as corn, peppers, potatoes, peas and beans - with some seasonings.
DEAR HELOISE: Here is my hint for the use of a pastry cutter: When making guacamole, use the pastry cutter to cut the avocado to the coarseness desired. Much better than mashing it.
- Linda Nickerson, Fallbrook, Calif.
DEAR READERS: Speaking of guacamole, do you know how to keep it from browning? Press plastic wrap into the guacamole so no air can get to the surface. If the recipe you are using calls for a little vinegar, lime or lemon juice, that will keep it from discoloring, too.
DEAR HELOISE: When you peel raw shrimp, nothing is worse than the smell when you put the shells in the trash! If you put the shells in a plastic bag with a little vinegar, they won't smell as much!
- Betty Henderson, Deatsville, Ala. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Family, Pages 37 on 10/31/2007