Repurposing Food Scraps
Have you watched David Attenborough’s documentary: A Life On Our Planet and wanted to cut down your carbon footprint? Aside from eating less meat utilising what is conventionally seen as ‘food scraps’ in cooking can minimise waste, save money and flex culinary creativity with a sustainable intention.
Above is a picture I made roasting pumpkin and beetroot with Moroccan spice for 30 minutes, for a further 10. I added the nutritious beetroot stems and leaves that would have otherwise gone to landfill. They turned out to be my favourite part of the meal. Here is a list of 9 other easy scrap hacks you can start today:
Bread – any slices going stale add to a roasting pan at the end of cooking other food to eat as croutons.
Wilting herbs – blend/mince them together with some olive oil and salt. Can be added to salad dressings, used as a marinade or frozen in cubes in the freezer to add to a pan for flavour.
Brine – from fermented pickles, cucumber, sauerkraut, jalapeños, olives, any brine can be used to add flavour to soups, dips & sauces. I add brine to most of my salad dressings and jalapeños brine for a cashew nacho cheese. It’s also handy to add to bland vegetables or marinate meats.
Potato skins – I don’t peel my vegetables but for those who like to the skins of potatoes (or any other produce like carrots or parsnips) can be sautéed in oil, salt and pepper as a meal topper.
Banana peels – the soft side can be rubbed on houseplant leaves for plant health and removing dust. The peels can also be added to water for a few days to infuse a potassium and phosphorus-rich elixir for house plants.
Stems – kale, broccoli (and trunks), cauliflower stems are fantastic when cut and roasted or sautéed with olive oil, salt and maybe a spice of choice. Can also be cut finely and added to soups, pasta bakes, meat loafs, muffins, pesto sauce ect
Wilting vegetables eg carrots and zucchini – perfect to cut, grate or mince for muffins, fritters, frittatas or bread.
Citrus peels – grate lemons, limes or oranges before juicing them to add to protein balls, salad dressings or in a salad (grated lemon helped me as a switch from feta in salads). The vitamin C will support iron absorption from leafy greens like spinach.
Nut Milks – if you make your own dry the leftover pulp which can be blended into flour, used in protein balls or stored in the freezer to add to smoothies as a protein/good fat source.