Sumptuous and green breakfast

Want to serve a generous and sumptuous breakfast, but also manage to use up all the food? Not a problem according to food blogger and cookbook author, Aicha Bouhlou. For her, leftovers are just as delicious!



Copyright photo and recipe: Food blogger Aicha Bouhlou: aichasmat.no

"I don’t view food as leftovers because it has such a negative perception. We have to be enthusiastic about leftovers and see them as ingredients," says Aicha Bouhlou with commitment. The blogger at aichasmat.no and author of the book, ‘The Green Food’, grew up in a large family with lots of children and only one income. "I’ve learnt the importance of using up everything and not throwing away any of the ingredients."

Combine ingredients

The ingredient is, therefore, a keyword when Aicha, with roots from Morocco, Germany and Norway, creates new dishes from the food left over from meals. It’s an art that many of us struggle with. We fill up our cupboards and fridges with large quantities of food, especially during the weekends and holidays, when we’re expected to be more indulgent. And then we sometimes forget that when the week rolls around again, we’re left with a kitchen full of leftovers and no idea how we’re going to use them.

"Divide the ingredients and store them separately. For example, take roasted mutton off the bone and keep it in a box in the fridge or freezer, or use it in a warm soup that you can take as a picnic. If you have cooked vegetable leftovers, you can do the same: Added to water, stock cubes and some spicy ginger you get the best soup. Or put it in an omelette – it'll taste just great!"

Everything on a slice of bread

"My mother always told us anything can go on a slice of bread or pizza, which is, after all, a slice of bread with melted cheese. Anything she couldn’t get us to eat, she made into a pizza with cheese on top," laughs Aicha. She follows her mother’s mantra to this day, and it often leads to innovative and international dishes on the breakfast table.

"What you put on a slice of bread doesn’t have to be just cheese and ham, you can use leftovers from dinner or tacos, pepper dip or hummus. I like to blend cultures," she explains.

"But it’s also about attitudes. You have to be willing to eat the food that was made the day before, or not have fresh bread every day." Try it out in Moroccan or Italian style Rub the bread slice with garlic, oil and tomato and toast it quickly in the oven. And if you have some leftover vegetables, you can always gratinate them with delicious cheese and white sauce or make a warm salad.

Fresh vegetables for breakfast

Cabbage is something that’s often left over after indulgent dinners. Then you’re lucky, according to Aicha.

"Cabbage is a fantastic ingredient that you can use in a warm salad, together with a bit of ginger, chilli, soya sauce, lime and leftover turkey. Or you can chop Brussels sprouts into small pieces and mix them with pomegranates, cucumber, ginger and chopped cabbage, and get another exciting salad."

At Aicha’s breakfast table she wants a sumptuous meal packed with greens. She makes sure that she already has some raw vegetables, peeled and chopped in bags in the fridge. "It’s delicious to have fresh carrots and other vegetables with some dark bread. Then I like to make some dressing that I serve on the side."

Eggs in a new way

An egg is a classic ingredient, and one of the recipes she shares with Fokosten.no’s readers is called Gjenganger:

"I often choose eggs in combination with tomatoes, onions and other vegetables when I have to make something quick, easy and tasty. This recipe is great at Christmas when people buy lots of vegetables and don’t know what to use them for.
This never happens at Aicha’s place. At her place, the leftovers are calculated. "We often plan to have some extra leftovers. It’s like a gift to us!"

Would you like to try Aicha Bouhloun’s exciting suggestions for breakfast?

Recipes: Orange and Cabbage salad

Ingredients

  • 3 carrots, julienne or grated
  • 5 dl finely shredded cabbage
  • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 oranges in small segments (you can use both yellow and red)
  • 1 dl orange juice
  • Juice of 1 organic lemon
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Here’s how to make it

1. Mix vegetables and orange segments

2. Stir together juice, lemon juice, sugar and salt and mix into the salad