King Features Syndicate
DEAR READERS: Do you wind up with several containers of leftover vegetables at the end of the week? Here are some hints for how to use them:
• Think of them as the original precooked convenience food. By adding some freshly browned onions or garlic, you’ll have a new dish.
• Mix in leftover cooked veggies with salad dressings or sandwich spreads, or just arrange them on top of lettuce and add your favorite dressing.
• Make a vegetable hash by frying leftover mixed vegetables — such as corn, peppers, potatoes, peas and beans — with onion, garlic and other seasonings.
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• Heat up a can of chicken, beef or vegetable broth, add spices and all those veggies, simmer for 20 or 30 minutes and you’ll have a fast and tasty vegetable soup.
• Cut or dice leftover potatoes, brown them with some onion and add egg or egg substitute for a hearty breakfast or a light supper. You can add diced red or green pepper for color, or top with salsa or picante sauce.
— Heloise
DEAR HELOISE: Here is the recipe for my secret dip. I use one package of ranch-type dressing and one of vegetable dip.
I mix this into 1 package of nonfat cream cheese and 8 ounces of sour cream (sometime nonfat sour cream). It does need to go into the refrigerator for a few hours, but the taste and texture are great.
I always buy several packages of dip mix to keep on hand and can whip one up in a jiffy, and then I use just the ranch-type dip and mix into the sour cream with a spoonful or so of ricotta cheese. — A Secret Reader, via e-mail
DEAR HELOISE: Try this one when packing sandwiches for school, work or a day trip to the beach or park: Simply put the condiments, like mayo or mustard, in between two of the slices of meat instead of putting it on the bread. Voila — no soggy bread. — Jim from San Antonio
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
