It’s July, and I KNOW you have some leftover produce hanging around in your fridge that you don’t know what to do with.
Maybe it’s not even the whole vegetables! Maybe it’s the garlic skins you rubbed off while you were prepping that stir fry on Monday, or the onion skins that were peeled away for that summer tomato pie on Thursday. What do you do with those leftovers?
You BRING THE **FUN** BACK TO THOSE VEGGIES, that’s what! If it’s good enough for Justin Timberlake, then I think it’s great for us. This week I will share with you, my amazing readers, the #1 use-up-your-leftovers tip I EVER learned. As in, your life may not ever be the same and you will most likely feel about as accomplished as Alice Waters from here on out.
The broth bag!! I know, genius right? I first heard about this technique while listening to (hearts) Lynn Rosetto Casper on the Splendid Table, interviewing a brilliant 90-year old woman whose claim to life-long health revolved around bone broth. And her key to great bone broth was not letting all of your leftover veggie scraps go to waste, but instead stockpiling them in a freezer bag.
Food people are the BEST people.
But I also know that you have more than your leftover veggie scraps lying around- you probably also have TWO more things I normally cram into my refrigerator:
Hummus– Hummus is not only an amazing snack, but there are some super cool things you can do with it outside of pita chip dipping’! Hummus chicken, pasta sauce, VEGAN QUESO *all the hearts**
Leftover pickle juice– There are a myriad of things you can do with leftover pickle juice. From adding it to potato salad and marinating meats to simply throwing your leftover veggies straight into the brine to make your own version of pickles, get creative! This list of the 15 Ways To Use Leftover Pickles by Bon Appetit is super-inspiring.
And of course, since this month’s focus is corn, so I’m pumped to share this awesome spicy corn and chorizo pizza we shot for Birmingham magazine. Pizza is a PERFECT vehicle for leftover summer produce!
So this weekend, let’s relax, make an easy bowl of hummus pasta, and throw whatever leftover veggies you have in pickle juice or the broth bag. Like 90-year-old Louise Hay says in her book Loving Yourself to Great Health, “Your body will love you for continuing to nourish it in this manner!”
Sweet Corn Pizza with Monterey Jack and Chorizo
This corn pizza is perfect- and easy enough- for summertime! Just grab some fresh summer corn, spicy chorizo, and melty cheese and you are ready to create a hearty appetizer or fun main course. Try substituting the chorizo for ground beef or turkey with taco seasoning if good quality chorizo is hard to come by.
What You Will Need:
Yield: 1 pizza
- 1 pound ground chorizo
- 4 fresh ears sweet corn, shucked and kernels removed for cooking
- 1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1 (13.9-ounce) can pizza crust
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 4 ounces Mexican blend shredded cheese
- Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
- Hot sauce, for serving
What You Will Do
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium saute pan, cook chorizo over medium heat, breaking up large pieces with a spoon. Once cooked through, remove to plate.
- Add corn kernels, onion, cumin, and taco seasoning to pan. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until onion softens and corn is crisp tender, about five minutes.
- Remove corn mixture from heat.
- Cover a large surface with parchment paper. On it, roll out pizza dough into a large circle.
- Move dough to parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven, then top with cooked chorizo, corn/onion mixture, cheese, and sliced jalapenos.
- Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and crust is crispy, about 10 minutes more.
- Top with cilantro leaves and serve immediately with hot sauce.