1 can chickpeas
1 can white kidney beans
1 can lentils
1 1/2 C hot salsa (I use Pioneer Woman's recipe)
Chopped peppers and/or green onion (optional)

Drain and rinse all canned beans. Stir all ingredients to combine in a large food storage container. Store in the fridge.


Bean Salad



Twice Baked Bean-y Sweet Potato 

Piece sweet potato all over with a knife. Microwave on high for 6 minutes, turn over, and mircrowave 6 minutes more. Once cool enough to touch, cut in half  and scoop out the flesh. Mash flesh and mix with some bean salad. Refill the potato skins. Top with shredded cheese, if desired. Bake at 375` for 15 minutes or until hot.



Speedy Bean Soup

Combine 3/4 C stock or broth with some bean salad to make a super quick and hearty soup. Season as desired.



Three-Bean Quesadilla

Spoon some bean salad on one half of a tortilla. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over tortilla and place in a hot frying pan for several minutes until browned, turning to brown both sides.



Spinach and Bean Pizza

Using naan or pita bread as your crust, top with bean salad, baby spinach, and cheese. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Turn on the broiler for 1 minute to cause the cheese to bubble.



Three-Bean Nachos

Place tortilla chips on a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with bean salad and shredded cheese. Bake at 3751 for 10 minutes. Turn on broiler for 1 minute to bubble cheese and brown a few chips.

2 1/4 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
1/4 C warm water
1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed but not drained
2 Tblsp olive oil
3 C flour
1 tsp salt

Combine yeast and sugar in warm water. Allow to rest for 5 minutes or until yeast is active and foamy. Meanwhile, using an immersion blender or food processor, puree spinach (in liquid from package). In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Once yeast is foamy, add yeast mixture, spinach, and olive oil to flour. Stir to combine into a rough dough. Knead until the mixture is elastic. (A stand mixer with the dough hook is excellent for this!) Cover dough, and let rise for 20 minutes. Divide dough in half to give you enough for two 12-inch pizzas. Stretch pizza dough and top as desired. Bake at 400` for 15-20 minutes.

2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
2 C chopped turkey
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1 T oil
1 T molasses (our local Crosby's, of course!)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 C sharp white cheddar, grated

In a large bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, oil, molasses, and salt & pepper. Stir to combine, then toss with onions until well coated. Spread in a single-layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast at 375` for about 15 minutes, or until onions are very soft. Remove from onion. Return all onions and sauce to the bowl. I find it easiest to do this by picking up the foil and almost pouring it all back into the bowl. Add turkey and stir to coat well. Spread onion and turkey mixture over flatbread (or tortilla, pita, pizza dough, etc) on a baking sheet, and top with cheese. Return to 375` oven for about 10 minutes.



(The previously posted recipes using Thanksgiving leftovers were  Stuffing Frittata ,  Curry Vegetable Soup ,  Thai Turkey Salad, Turkey, Bacon, Avocado Tortilla Roll-Ups, and Sweet Potato Biscuits .  For other ideas about using leftovers any time, view all my recipes categorized under " Leftovers Renewed .") 

1 batch of my favourite thin crust pizza (or your substitute your favourite pizza dough/shells and adusting cooking time and temperature accordingly)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
10-12 ribs of kale, leaves only
3 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
1/4-1/2 C grated mozzarella cheese (I feel like smoked gouda would also be amazing on this!)
Combine shallots, yellow onion, and Spanish onion in a large frying pan with a little olive oil. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little salt, until softened, browning, and carmelized. Add kale, and cook for 3-4 minutes until wilted and slightly softened.

Stretch pizza crust on pan (or a floured cutting board to be transferred to a heated pizza stone, which is my favourite method). Top with onion and kale mixture. Top kale mixture with chopped bacon, and a little mozzarella cheese. (Don't go overboard on the cheese. Going overboard on cheese ruins great pizza if you ask me, and I'm a cheese lover. ) Bake at 500` for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and crust is desired colour.

3/4 C warm water
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 tsp sugar
1 3/4 flour (This recipe works best with white flour)
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 500` (Yes, I know. Crazy hot. Trust me on this one!)  I use a Pampered Chef baking stone, and I place it in the oven as it preheats.

Combine water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to rest for 6-8 minutes until foamy. Combine flour and salt. Stir wet and dry ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms (I do this by hand), then knead until a soft dough forms (I do this in my KitchenAid with the dough hook).

Stretch your dough and roll thin on a well-floured cutting board, if using a pizza stone. (If using a pizza pan, stretch your dough directly on to the greased pan) Top with sauce and toppings as desired. Once oven is to temperature, slide pizza from cutting board to hot baking stone using a large spatula. (Or, obviously, just put your pan with pizza on it in to the oven)

Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until crust is crisp and the cheese is bubbling. You can use a spatula to check the colour on the bottom. Watch it closely, as a minute or two means a lot at 500`!





(PS: Yeast is one of those things that is way cheaper at Bulk Barn than at the grocery store. Buy it there, then store it in a glass jar in the fridge)

12-inch pizza crust (I used this recipe)
1lb butternut squash, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
6 white mushrooms, sliced
1 Tblsp fresh thyme leaves
2 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Grated cheddar cheese


In a large bowl, toss the squash, onion, mushrooms, thyme, oil, salt, and pepper. Scatter over the stretched dough and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 425` for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

1 batch of your favourite pizza dough (I use the recipe from my bread machine manual with whole-wheat flour)
1 full bulb of garlic
Olive oil
2 small onions, sliced
Brown sugar
8-9 cups of mixed greens (we had swiss chard, arugula, spinach, and beet greens)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (approx)

Cut the top off of the bulb of garlic so that there is a slice off of each clove. Drizzle with olive oil, wrap with tinfoil, and bake at 400' for 35 minutes. BAM! You just made heavenly roasted garlic. Scoop out all the soft garlicy goodness, and place in a small ramekin. With a fork and a little olive oil, work the garlic into a paste. Set aside.

Saute onions in a little olive oil until softening. Gradually add brown sugar (approx 1 Tblsp) to help the onions caramelize. Set aside.

Wash and trim greens (be generous - it cooks down SO much). In a wire strainer over boiling water, steam greens in batches. Set aside.

Light your BBQ and place a pizza/baking stone on the cold grill, so it can warm up gradually.

On a well-floured cutting board, place your stretched pizza dough. Spread your roasted garlic paste over the crust. Top with carmelized onions, steamed greens, and mozzarella cheese.

Lower BBQ temperature to medium. Loosen pizza from cutting board with a spatula, and slip onto the hot baking stone. Cover BBQ, and allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes. With a spatula, lift and check the underside of pizza until desired crispness is achieved. (It can change quickly, so check it every 2-3 minutes after the 10 minute mark.)


If you don't have a baking stone, there are two other easy options for grilling pizza:

1. Buy pre-made/baked pizza crusts from the bakery section of the grocery store. Build your pizza, and grill it directly on the rack.

2. Use your own pizza dough recipe. Stretch the dough, and place over medium heat directly on an oiled grill for 5-7 minutes, until partially cooked and stiffening. Carefully remove from grill and place cooked-side-up on a cutting board. Build your pizza and return to the grill, cooking directly on the rack.