You don’t have to feel guilty about these meals. “Cooking with a Veteran” founder Dave Rogers has curated his second book—this time, with recipes utilizing leftovers. In addition, proceeds of the book continue to go to veterans.

“From Bland to BAM!” takes readers on a journey of stretching out staples and making leftovers into something new.

“I cannot tell you how many veterans say they don’t want to buy a 5-pound bag of potatoes, even if they are cheaper because they feel it will go to waste, or a family whose kids hate leftovers, and so a lot of food gets thrown out,” said the author of the reasoning behind the new book. “With the price of everything, I wanted to create a book that goes along with my idea of helping veterans, their families, and the community get excited about food again.”

The 83-page book has everything from lists of ways to use potatoes including Hasselback, potato skins and au gratin recipes, as well as potato salad, hashbrowns, soup, and even chips recipes. It moves on to seasonings and flavored butter instructions, then cabbage and corn recipes, as well as beans and other vegetable side dishes.

He also provides rice, eggs, and meatloaf, chicken and beef recipes—all made from leftovers! But possibly, the best section is the large selection of leftover egg roll recipes, including dessert and breakfast rolls!

The book is filled with full-color, large photos and awesome tips and tricks along the way. Rogers is known for his easy-to-read and easy-to-follow directions. And he promises food packed with flavor.

Our only suggestion after purchasing his new book: get a cast iron! You’re going to need it.

BUY THE BOOK

The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle for purchase via Amazon for $20. For every book sold, $5 goes to the veterans at the VFW National Home. Later this month, Rogers also hinted at the release of his third book, “Bland to BAM: Breakfast Edition.” Link: https://a.co/d/6lvssbT.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave Rogers is a 14-year Army veteran who served in Desert Storm, Bosnia and Korea, as well as the World Trade Center. He left the Army in 2005 due to a neck injury he suffered while serving at the World Trade Center. He credits the VFW for helping him continue on after his service. He still serves by running a weekly Coffee with a Veteran on Zoom to check in with veterans across the country, as well as his famous “Cooking with a Veteran” YouTube show. He started cooking, and it eventually turned into his show. 

“When I talk about my love of cooking, I like to tell how my mother (God rest her soul) was such a bad cook, she could burn water,” he joked. “My fondest memories of my childhood were walking to my grandmother’s house after school; you could smell food cooking all over the block.”

After joining the Army and traveling to various countries, his love for food grew. As he traveled, he learned new secrets and cultures. He calls his approach to cooking “grunt style”—easy recipes for veterans. Flavorful food, he said, is not a lot of seasoning or adding a lot of salt, but rather allowing the flavors of the food to stand out. Besides his love of cooking, Rogers is also an artist who loves to create and experiment with art.