Easy dinner recipes: Three gluten-free ways to use up leftovers

Are leftovers taking up all the room in your fridge? Sometimes all it takes is some creative repackaging. That leftover chicken? Repurpose it as a colorful chopped salad. Roast beef? Add it to a hash. Grilled salmon? Turn it into a salad. Best of all these ideas should work for those looking to eat gluten- or wheat-free.

Nice crunch, great colors and a wonderfully fresh combination of flavors all in a simple salad! Toss together diced chicken with a little red onion, celery, currants and apple for a bright flavor pairing similar to a classic Waldorf, and the whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes.

When you’re looking for a dinner idea with a little more substance, but still want to put food on the table fast, you can’t go wrong with hash. It’s one-pan comfort food -- simple and no fuss. For diner-style roast beef hash, take that leftover roast beef in the fridge and cook it up with some cubed potatoes, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno for a little heat. Hungry yet?

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

Grilled salmon salad is a perfect way to use up leftover salmon and also works well with other leftover fish or even chicken -- just change up the herbs as desired to suit your taste. For this version, flake grilled salmon over a salad of steamed red potatoes, avocado and watercress and toss with a simply seasoned lemon and olive oil-based dressing. It takes only about 40 minutes to prepare.
You can find all three recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

LUNCH’S GREEN APPLE CHICKEN SALAD

Total time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

Note: Adapted from Lunch

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cooked boneless and skinless chicken breasts, diced (a generous 2 cups)

2 small celery stalks, cut into small dice

1/2 red onion, cut into very small dice

1/2 green apple, cored and cut into medium dice

1/3 cup currants (raisins may be substituted)

Salt and pepper, if desired

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to form a dressing.

2. To the bowl, add the chicken, celery, onion, apple and currants. Toss everything together, taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Chill before serving. This makes about 1 quart chicken salad.

Each of 6 servings: 188 calories; 12 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 39 mg cholesterol; 7 grams sugar; 163 mg sodium

DINER-STYLE ROAST BEEF HASH

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

1 1/4 pounds cooked roast beef, sliced into chunks

1 pound baking potatoes (about 2 large), cubed

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded

2 teaspoons crushed red chile flakes

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1. Working in batches, combine equal portions of beef, potatoes, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeño in the bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly until the mixture is reduced to a coarse crumb. (This can also be done with a meat grinder.) Repeat until all ingredients have been chopped. Place the finished mixture in a large bowl. Sprinkle with chile flakes, oregano and soy sauce, and stir the mixture gently to combine.

2. Prepare the hash in batches: Drizzle olive oil into a large cast-iron pan until it just coats the surface of the pan, then heat the pan over medium heat. Spoon a batch of hash into the pan and spread it out to a thickness of one-half to three-fourths inch, covering the bottom of the skillet. Cook hash, stirring very little, until the bottom has crisped and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape the crusty bits from the bottom and turn the mixture to allow other parts to brown. Taste and season as desired with salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, until there are plenty of crispy bits, then turn again. Remove hash from skillet and begin another batch.

3. Repeat until all the hash has been cooked. (You may keep the finished batches warm on a platter placed in a 300-degree oven as you work.) Serve alone with Tabasco or ketchup or garnished with a fried egg.

Each serving: 264 calories; 34 grams protein; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 7 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 63 mg cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 359 mg sodium

GRILLED SALMON SALAD WITH POTATOES AND DILL

Active work time: 40 minutes. Total preparation time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

12 baby red boiling potatoes

2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound grilled salmon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large bunch watercress

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, add cold water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, and reduce the heat so the water just simmers. Cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and run them under cold water until cool enough to handle.

While the potatoes are cooking, whisk together the shallot, mustard, sugar, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Add pepper to taste.

Cut the potatoes into thin slices and place in a large salad bowl. Use a fork to flake the salmon into bite-size pieces. Add to the salad bowl along with the dill and avocado. Cut off and discard the tough stems of the watercress. Coarsely chop the rest and add to the salad bowl. Gently toss the salad with the dressing. Divide the salad among 4 plates. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 484 calories; 438 mg sodium; 54 mg cholesterol; 35 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 3.5 grams fiber

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