Lotsa Love for Leftovers 6

Post weight loss surgery when you eat out in a restaurant it's a given there will be a lot of leftovers or waste. I hate wasting food. Sometimes I have no choice if I'm headed to a movie or I'm too far from home but if I'm heading home right after a meal you better be sure the leftovers are coming home. Those leftovers can be "repurposed" and transformed into a bunch of great meals.

Repurposing: Transforming leftovers into something equally as yummy. The goal is for them to taste & look so completely different you don't realize you are having leftovers.

I was really feeling like a steak last night. We're in a bit of a heatwave and I wasn't feeling the whole standing in front of the BBQ to cook them. Air conditioning and no dishes was more what I was feeling. So I took my Mum to a local restaurant that has GREAT steaks (locals: believe it or not it's Richie's Diner. Go. I'm serious, so good.) My order: Filet Mignon, cooked medium. It came with salad. My Mum and I split an order of grilled veggies and mushrooms. I ate 1/2 the steak, the salad and a few of the veggies and mushrooms.

These were my leftovers. About 4 oz. of steak and a 1/4-ish cup of veggies.


Today those leftovers became this AWESOME lunch...


Shelly's Steak Stuffed Mushrooms

4 oz. Steak Leftovers, chopped
1/4 cup Leftover Cooked Veggies (any zucchini, peppers, onions, whatever)
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese
2 oz. Feta Cheese (I used Tomato Basil Feta)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Around 10 Large Stuffing-size White Mushrooms
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese for topping

Clean and remove the stems from mushrooms. Set aside. Chop steak somewhat fine. Set aside. Blend veggies, cottage cheese, feta cheese in a mini food processor or blender till smooth. Pour into a bowl. Add steak and seasonings. Mix till well combined. Stuff mixture into mushroom caps.


Arrange on a lightly oiled Pyrex dish or baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Since the size of mushrooms will vary, any leftover mixture would be great on a Tortilla Pizza. I served these for lunch with a spinach, cucumber and tomato salad with a sprinkle of toasted almonds and a drizzle of store-bought vinaigrette dressing. It was a delicious and packed with protein meal and you would NEVER know it came from a Styrofoam box of leftovers.

More ideas for repurposing restaurant leftovers

Lotsa Love for Leftovers 1
Lotsa Love for Leftovers 2
Lotsa Love for Leftovers 3
Lotsa Love for Leftovers 4
Lotsa Love for Leftovers 5
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