The "Leftovers" Salad

This is my favorite way to repurpose leftovers and use them differently. Trey, my husband, can eat all the leftovers as is, he is our human garbage disposal. But I like to recreate the leftovers so that they are different than how I just ate them the night before. This recipe can work with whatever you have in your fridge.

I am not a "meal-prepper," it just doesn't work for me and my lifestyle but I do have certain items always on hand that make making a leftover salad super easy.

Here's the main things you need:

Protein: In this recipe I used our leftover greek chicken. But I have used everything and anything from leftover fish (it is good cold in the salad!), steak, sausage, BBQ Chicken and when I don't have a leftover protein, I will just hard-boil an egg or two.
Leaves: My kids call salads "leaves" so I always try to have a few leaves on hand. I prefer spinach because it's easy. Plus, when it seems like it is going to go bad soon, you can cook it. I prefer to get just one type of leaf in a box. Mixed greens all spoil at different rates so I feel like I am forever picking out the leaves that aren't good anymore. This way I keep it simple.
Optional Leftovers: Roasted veggies, in this salad, we had leftover roasted turmeric cauliflower (YUM!). In past salads, I've used leftover broccoli, Brussel sprouts, zucchini, etc. Again, they are already cooked so they are great to throw in cold.
Optional Toppings: This is where you go from a boring salad to a delicious salad. I love to add more plant based proteins/fibers to my salad. Check out my post about items I always keep in my pantry HERE. I add about a tablespoon of some or all of these: Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, ground flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc. (I wouldn't recommend adding all the nuts in the same salad).
Dressing: My go to is an easy vinaigrette that I make myself in about 1 minute. No joke. It is so easy. Just remember, dressings need these ingredients: an oil, a vinegar, some seasonings and/or mustard. You can make it as complex and crazy as you want depending on how much time you have or you can just add salt and pepper as your seasonings.
Other Veggies: Have other veggies in your fridge? Throw them in. We usually have carrots, cucumber & tomatoes in our house since they are staple veggies out kids eat. I will throw those in depending on how much I feel like chopping food.

Here's the recipe for Leftover Salad: