New Year's Pantry-Cleaning Leads to Recipes Worth Keeping by Lisa Messinger on Creators.com

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New Year's Pantry-Cleaning Leads to Recipes Worth Keeping

Cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator is often a ritual shortly after the beginning of the new year. Out with the old, and make room for the new. What might also turn out to be surprisingly new, however, are split-second recipes you can throw together with these "throwaways."

First, when it comes to unopened cans in the pantry, are they really old, or are they just some remnants from a past recipe or other purchase that no longer suits your fancy? If there's still a lot of time before the "use-by" date (which often appears on the bottom of cans), consider donating them to your local food bank. Statistics show that such assistance agencies are busier — and more financially strapped — than ever.

Put other cans and items that do still tempt you to good use. Creative kebabs, for instance, might consist of pitted black olives, chunks of drained canned pineapple, string cheese you've cut into bite-sized bits and whole-grain packaged croutons you've first slightly soaked in the natural juice (no sugar added) from your canned pineapple.

Nutritionists suggest that we eat varied greens every day. Consider those you find in your vegetable bin to be fair pickings for breakfast fruit-vegetable smoothies, lunches in which you mix-and-match at least two varied greens per sandwich and dinners where you serve both a lightly cooked wilted green and at least one other fresh one in a salad.

Nuts, in moderation due to their high calorie and (healthful) fat counts, are nutrition powerhouses. Mix bits of any nuts and seeds you find in your pantry with whatever whole-grain cereals are hanging around in there. Add this to some popcorn (which is another whole-grain addition) and sprinkle with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, rosemary, thyme, turmeric and cayenne, which are concentrated sources of natural antioxidants.

Exotic dipping sauces for snacks can be a quick result of rescuing some almost-finished products from the door shelf in your refrigerator. A few ideas (all should be mixed well): light soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and sugar-free bottled French, Russian or Thousand Island salad dressing; Dijon mustard, salsa and a dab of low-fat mayonnaise; ketchup, maple syrup and strawberry jam.

Alternately, try one of these refrigerator-door- or pantry-inspired recipes.

The first is a quick and gourmet use of olive oil and/or almonds you may have hanging around:

ALMOND PESTO

— 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

— 1 generous cup sliced almonds, roughly chopped

— 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

— 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

— 2 garlic cloves, very finely minced

Yields four servings.

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to one day if not using immediately. Good served atop hamburgers or as a spread in wraps or sandwiches.

— "Lorena Garcia's New Latin Classics: Fresh Ideas for Favorite Dishes" by Lorena Garcia with Raquel Pelzel (Ballantine, $32.50).

CREAMY ITALIAN DRESSING SUB

— 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise

— 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian salad dressing

— 1 thin (10-inch) baguette, partially split

— 3 slices ham

— 3 slices (preferably smoked) turkey breast

— 1 slice Swiss cheese

— 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

— 3 thin tomato slices

— 1 thin red onion slice, separated into rings

— Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Yields two servings.

In a small bowl, combine well mayonnaise and Italian salad dressing. Spread bottom half of bread with mayonnaise mixture. Fill with all remaining ingredients except pepper. Grind pepper atop filling. Cut in half and serve.

— Adapted from KraftRecipes.com.

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.