Waste Not ~ Want Not

I love cooking Sunday dinner for my guys. Or anyone for that matter. And I love the traditional dishes I grew up eating at the family tables of my childhood. This past weekend I did Pot Roast, a staple at Ma's Sunday dinner table. A big Beef Chuck Roast to be exact with potato, onion, carrot and sweet potato thrown in at the end of the cooking time. I never add these until the last to keep them from overcooking. No mushy veggies for me. I serve the veggies cooked in the pot roast stock separate by removing them to a warm platter and layering the sliced roast alongside. I never leave them in the stock. That's reserved for gravy. Oh, yum. Trouble is, I cooked too much this time. I can't stand to throw away food if I can dream up a redo that's interesting; a way that totally transforms the ingredients into something almost exciting. My bright idea this time I must share with you. Monday is a day I frankly do not want to get in the kitchen and cook for too long. So it's usually simple and quick. Soup and salad is simple and quick and that's what we had last evening. Romaine Salad and Creamy "Pot Roast Veggie" Soup.  

Note: Having lots of veggies leftover was fortuitous for utilizing on Monday's menu. These veggies have tremendous flavor, so what a shame to waste them. To store them for later use I put them in a plastic bag and toss in the fridge.

Creamy "Pot Roast Veggie" Soup

Leftover potato, onion, carrot & sweet potato

(you could use plain oven roasted veggies)

Cream

Milk

Chicken stock

Freshly grated nutmeg

Black pepper

Salt

Chives as garnish

Dill as garnish

 

So to begin this soup, I filled my Vitamix blender a little more than half-full of leftover veggies and 1 cup of chicken stock. I pureed until smooth. Add more stock if needed to blend well. Then into a small pot to finish. I added about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of cream and enough milk and stock to thin it out a bit. Roughly half milk to half stock. I brought it up to a low simmer and grated a bit of nutmeg to my taste. Probably a pinch if measured. Black pepper to taste and salt if needed. Boom! Done! Just like that I had a tasty soup with tons of flavor. To garnish, I just drifted over some chives and some dried dill weed. You could grate a bit of hard cheese over such as Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, Dubliner etc. Served with a light salad it was a perfect dinner. Simple, quick and scrumptious.  

My creamy soup and Romaine salad with tortilla strip crunchies