Lotsa Love for Leftovers 5

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.

Saturday I took my Mum to Red Lobster for Dinner. My order was the Build Your Own Meal. I chose Shrimp Scampi and Crab Legs and Sliced Tomatoes as the side dish. It comes with a Garden Salad (I ask for no croutons and dressing on the side.) I know my capacity pretty well now so I remove and box 1/2 my dinner right away. I ask for a box when I order, they look at you weird but I just say, "I'm not terribly hungry and I know I will need a box so can you just bring it with the food."

I ate my salad, the crab legs and the sliced tomatoes and I was happy as a clam

This is what came home...

Tonight those leftover shrimp became this AWESOME repurposed dinner...

Shelly's Shrimp Alfredo Pasta-less Zucchini Pasta

1 Large Sweet Onion, sliced (Vidalia or Maui but regular yellow would be fine)
4 small-medium Zucchini, julienned
3/4 cup Storebought Alfredo Sauce
4 Tomatoes, chopped
12 or so Leftover Cooked Shrimp (I used Red Lobster Shrimp Scampi leftovers)
1 Tablespoon Fresh Basil, chopped
1 teaspoon Oregano
Salt to taste
a few twists of Black Pepper
Parmesan Cheese on top

Slice onion into thin slices. Saute until slightly golden. You can make the "zoodles" zucchini noodles using a spiralizer or if you don't have one of those a julienne peeler will cut the zucchini into julienne strips. Add to the onion.

Remove tails and chop leftover cooked shrimp.

Add seasonings, sauce, shrimp, tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Continue cooking till zucchini is cooked to desired doneness, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes or so. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

It was delicious and dare I say it even better than the original restaurant meal. So the next time you are at a restaurant bring home those leftovers and repurpose them.

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
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