Recipe search based on what's left in the fridge?

[kouiskas]

Hello, I've heard such thing exists, at least on smart fridges. I would just like to know if a website offers the same service: by selecting the ingredients and their quantities get all the recipes that can be done.

I'm not lazy to cook, just lazy to go and buy the missing ingredients everytime I want to try a new recipe

 

[jkath]

Wow! I've never heard of that, but around here, many of us ask questions like "I've got these ingreds - what should I make for dinner?" and we'll get answers back quite promptly.

By the way, welcome to our cooking board! I hope that you stay with us - it really is the friendliest place you'll find

 

[GB]

I have seen those sites, but never saved them. The idea is great, but the recipes they suggest never appeal to me. I am sure someone will come along with some though as I have seen them posted on this site before.

 

[In the Kitchen]

Lettuce

Since I have leftover lettuce from making lunches with salads, I would like to know if anyone could create something with leftover lettuce beside some kind of sandwiches. I only wish there was some kind of soup to throw it in. I have been making lunches so long that it bothers me to just start over every week with having to buy fresh. I guess if you eat fresh you have to use it that way. AS long as it does the body good, I'll continue. I just don't understand how they can eat the salads everyday. Happy they do but I certainly would get bored. (Don't tell them I told you).

 

[CookBookFun]

Hmmm, and interesting concept - the user would enter what leftover goodies he/she has on hand, and the service would supply some recipes that could be used! I like it.

I haven't seen it, but I like it.

Throwing things together is one of my "sort-of" specialties, and I never seem to lack for ideas on how to use up the leftovers in our home.

Almost any leftover can be combined with some type of "Cream of _____" soup, a can or package of frozen veggies and microwaved as a casserole of sorts.

You can get creative with the concept of a Shepherd Pie by mixing (or fixing) some mashed potatoes with an egg and some spices to make a crust on top of your casserole creation.

I also am fond of crumbling up some Ritz crackers and combining them with some melted margarine to make a crust on top of "whatever".

And of course, almost any meat can be cut up, boiled, and doctored up to be a soup along with some leftover veggies.

There is a website that lists some leftover recipe ideas (not exactly what you asked for, but close) - it is:

http://teriskitchen.com/leftovers.html

Bill Dugan

 

[pdswife]

Since I have leftover lettuce from making lunches with salads, I would like to know if anyone could create something with leftover lettuce beside some kind of sandwiches. I only wish there was some kind of soup to throw it in. I have been making lunches so long that it bothers me to just start over every week with having to buy fresh. I guess if you eat fresh you have to use it that way. AS long as it does the body good, I'll continue. I just don't understand how they can eat the salads everyday. Happy they do but I certainly would get bored. (Don't tell them I told you).

Stir Fried Beef on Lettuce (T & T)

Description:
From Taste of Home's "Light & Tasty" magazine, April/May 2004 issue.

Ingredients:
1/3 C reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 C white wine or chicken broth
1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/8 inch strips
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 C fresh snow peas
4 tsp canola oil, divided
4 C shredded lettuce

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and wine or broth. Reserve 1/4 cup. Place beef in a resealable plastic bag. Add remaining soy sauce mixture; seal and mix. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Place cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir in reserved soy sauce mixture until smooth; set aside.

In a nonstick skillet, stir-fry mushrooms and snow peas in 2 teaspoons hot oil for 3-4 minutes, or until snow peas are crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm. Drain and discard marinade from beef. In same skillet, stir-fry beef in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Place lettuce on four serving plates. Top with beef mixture and snow pea mixture.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup stir-fry mixture with 1 cup lettuce) equals 246 calories, 10 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 64 mg cholesterol, 856 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 26 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Personal notes: This was very tasty. I used chicken broth. Also, added a good shake of red pepper flakes to my portion. Do think it needs a heaping teaspoon of cornstarch. Sauce didn't thicken enough for my taste.

Thinly sliced pork loin, or chicken breast should be equally as good as the beef.

 

[luvs]

i usually make 'kichen sink veggie soup' with the stuff i find in the fridge.

 

[college_cook]

when all else fails... I always go with the sandwich. I count sandwiches as thier own food group. The best is the sandwiches that follow thanksgiving... turkey breast with mashed potatoes/gravy, green bean casserole, and just a bit of cold leftover cranberries (the whole kind) on a toasted french roll... doesn't get much better than that. Anything can be tossed onto a sandwich and be outstanding, IMO.

I would say if you have any tortillas or pitas lying around, you could put the lettuce on those, with some little mandarin orange slices, some nuts (pecans would be best i think), dressing, and any meat you have. That's a good meal anytime.

 

[kitchenelf]

Since I have leftover lettuce from making lunches with salads, I would like to know if anyone could create something with leftover lettuce beside some kind of sandwiches. I only wish there was some kind of soup to throw it in. I have been making lunches so long that it bothers me to just start over every week with having to buy fresh. I guess if you eat fresh you have to use it that way. AS long as it does the body good, I'll continue. I just don't understand how they can eat the salads everyday. Happy they do but I certainly would get bored. (Don't tell them I told you).

You could do some lettuce wraps. Just do a search on google. Some have a lot of ingredients and I don't know what you stock your pantry with. You could get really close to the flavor with some but not all the ingredients. There are recipes on the net for P. F. Chang's lettuce wraps, that's the one I use. You could probably leave out the dried chilis, bamboo shoots, cellophane noodles. The cooking sauce and the dipping sauce will be the most important to have.

 

[kitchenelf]

Hello, I've heard such thing exists, at least on smart fridges. I would just like to know if a website offers the same service: by selecting the ingredients and their quantities get all the recipes that can be done.

I'm not lazy to cook, just lazy to go and buy the missing ingredients everytime I want to try a new recipe

I have seen a site like this but like GB it never gave me any recipes that appealed to me. Or it might just use 1 ingredient I had in a recipe. I guarantee if you make a list of some things in your fridge we will come up with something.