Chaos in the Freezer

It's that time of year again. Time to clean out the freezer of all the accumulated odds and ends that have been building up for the last few months.

Yesterday was day 1 of cleanup. I used frozen shredded cheese, frozen hamburger buns, frozen leftover meatballs, 1/2 a bottle of tomato sauce languishing in the fridge, a portion of a leek, apples, cucumber and yogurt to make Meatball Sandwiches and a cold yogurt-dressed salad. It was a hit!

Quick Weeknight Freezer Cleanout Dinner Recipes:

1) Meatball Sandwiches

Make a marinara sauce with plenty of garlic, basil and oregano, hot pepper flakes, etc...Heat meatballs in sauce.

Toast hamburger buns with a brush of olive oil in the oven, then sprinkle with cheese and allow to melt. Top with meatballs, sauce and any extras you might want to throw on: grilled onions, artichokes, olives, etc.

Keep napkins handy!

2) Winter Fruit and Vegetable Salad

Slice all vegetables thinly or in tiny chunks:

1/2 leek (white and light green parts only)
2 apples
1-2 cucumbers, seeded

Drizzle with the juice of one lemon (zest too, if desired), pepper, salt and a single-serve tub of unflavored yogurt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Tonight we're doing Peruvian. I defrosted a packet of aji amarillo that's been in the back, a gift from a friend who traveled to Peru earlier in the year. I also had homemade chicken stock, a couple of chicken tenders and some old bread ends in the freezer. The stock and the chicken went into the pressure cooker; when done, I shredded the chicken and reserved the stock liquid. Leeks and garlic sauteed in the now-empty pan, followed by some of the aji, tumeric, cumin, and black pepper. I soaked the bread and leftover cracker crumbs in a milk-cream mixture (to approximate evaporated milk), ground up peanuts and Brazil nuts, tossed in a little pumpkin for color and to cut down on the heat and then whirred the whole thing in the blender until smooth. Then I added Parmesan cheese and the chicken and voila! Non-traditional, but still tasty, Aji de Gallina. A less erratic recipe can be found here.

I'm serving it with boiled eggs and potatoes, some olives and pickles in the fridge, and quinoa (also from the freezer). Come tomorrow, Thanksgiving, I think I'll be ready to resume cooking afresh! And with lots of space in the freezer for leftovers.
:)