5 Cookbooks to Help You Toss Less Food

Have you, or has someone you know, made a New Years resolution to cut down on food waste? In addition to perusing our blog, which has shared tons of tips to show how easy it is to prevent waste in general, be sure to check out these anti-waste cookbooks. They are full of delicious recipes that make use of leftovers and oft-discarded ingredients as well as teach readers how to respect food.

1. The Use-It-Up Cookbook: Creative Recipes for the Frugal Cook by Catherine Kitcho

Sample recipes: Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate, Cheese Rind Soup, Cilantro Stem Green Sauce, Potato Peel Croutons, and Pumpkin Seed Mole

2. Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook: A Guide to Eating Well and Saving Money By Wasting Less Food by Dana Gunders

Sample recipes: Banana Sorbet, Buried Chocolate Avocado Mousse, Chilaquiles, and Sour Milk Pancakes

3. The CSA Cookbook: No-Waste Recipes for Cooking Your Way Through a Community Supported Agriculture Box, Farmers’ Market, or Backyard Bounty by Linda Ly

Sample recipes: Chard Stalk Hummus, Fennel Frond and Ginger Pesto, Pea Shoot Salad with Radish and Carrot, Skillet Greens and Bacon Bits with Pomegranate Gastrique, and Watermelon Rind and Jalapeño Pickles

4. The Waste Not, Want Not Cookbook by Cinda Chavish.

Sample recipes: Chicken Breasts with Apple and Rosemary, Rosemary Lemonade, Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Chinese Cabbage, and Wild Mushroom and Potato Bisque

5. Love Your Leftovers: Through Savvy Meal Planning Turn Classic Main Dishes Into More Than 100 Delicious Recipes by Nick Evans

Sample recipes:Fire and Smoke Pizza, Jalapeño Popper Potato Skins, Shredded Chicken Hash, Spicy Beef Wontons, and Tomato Poached Cod

Wishing you a happy 2017 full of delicious food,

Eva

How to Use Fall Fruits and Vegetables

*Quick, upfront disclaimer: this post is based on produce that is in season across the USA. Sorry if it does not apply to all climates.

With the autumnal equinox upon us, it’s time to celebrate one of the best parts of fall: the food! In addition to the obvious favorites like pumpkins, butternut squash, and apples, autumn offers an array of other fruits and vegetables that can be used to make great healthy dishes or indulgent desserts. Given the purpose of our organization and the fact that there are plenty of recipe guides to seasonal produce out there (such as these for October and November), this post is going to focus on making the most of your purchases. That means finding a use for parts of fruits and vegetables that are typically disregarded and/or creatively using up produce once it’s no longer fresh.

Apples: Apples are best kept in the pantry.

Don’t toss apple peels: crispy chips, apple peel tea, or apple cider vinegar

If apples are getting old: applesauce, apple cider, or apple crisp

Beets: Store beets by chopping off the leaves and storing each in separate plastic bags in the refrigerator.

Eat beet leaves within 2-3 days: frittata, pesto, or just saute similarly to kale or collard greens

If beets are starting to go soft, try: pizza crust, hummus, or chocolate cake

Broccoli and Cauliflower: These vegetables are very similar and should be stored in sealed plastic bags in the fridge.

Don’t throw out leaves: roast, smoothie, as a raw salad base, or try the beet green recipes

Grapes: Grapes should be stored in the fridge. Alternatively, they can be easily frozen to serve as ice cubes that will chill wine without diluting it.

If grapes are starting to go soft, try: grape pie, grape gazpacho, or grape vinaigrette

Parsnips: Treat parsnips like carrots – store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Use the whole parsnip, peel and all: honey parsnip bread, roasted with onions, or baked fries

Pears (Bosc and Comice): Ripen pears at room temperature, store in fridge once ripe.

Treat pear peels like apple peels.

If pears are going soft: pear crème pâtissière, pear butter, or spinach-pear soup

Pumpkins and winter squash: Store these fall-centric gourds in a pantry. Butternut and kabocha squashes should be peeled, but the skin is edible on other varieties.

Roast your seeds: cocoa, rosemary-sage, or sweet and spicy (or use them raw in muffins, granola, bread, etc.)

How to make pumpkin puree, which can be frozen.

Have a flavorful fall!

Eva

Midweek Delicacy Time: Latin Roasted Chicken with Poblano Peppers & Peruvian Potatoes

This week I wanted to share my weekday comfort dish. For those long days, I can hunker down with this meal, and my day is brightened. Over the years this dish has developed from how I saw my family prepare chicken to what always accompanied it, rice and lots of vegetables.

It is a super easy dish to put together and very well-rounded. The Peruvian potatoes have become popular, but if you can’t find them, use red potatoes. I usually use two Habanero peppers but the farmers market had other options equally tempting. Serve with rice and a basic salad of lettuce and tomatoes with a simple dressing of olive oil and lime.

Happy eating friends!

Ingrid

Ingredients

Serves 4 – 6

5 – 6 Whole Chicken Legs, 4 – 5 lbs.
2 Hot Peppers – Poblano, Habanero, or Jalapeño, seeded & roughly chopped
1 medium Onion, roughly chopped
2 medium Peppers, seeded & roughly chopped
5-6 small Potatoes – Peruvian Purple or Red, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 Garlic cloves, divided
1-2 Beer – Corona or other inexpensive kind is good
1 tablespoon Cilantro, chopped & divided
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1/2 tablespoon of Salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon Cumin powder
1/2 tablespoon Adobo powder

Preparation

Rinse the chicken and place in a medium-sized container. Sprinkle with salt and add pepper to taste. Add 1/2 tablespoon cilantro and 2 whole garlic cloves smashed. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hr minimum. Hint: The longer you leave it the better it will taste.
Set oven-rack to lower middle. Pre-heat oven to 450°.
In a medium-sized baking dish add vegetables. Drain the chicken and arrange among the vegetables. Mince the last of the garlic and sprinkle on top with the rest of the cilantro. Season with adobo, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Pour oil over chicken and vegetables. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until chicken skin is browned and cooked through. Baste halfway through at 20 minutes with remainder of beer, about 2 tablespoon.

Midweek Delicacy: Baked Fried Chicken with Whole Grain Rice & Sweet Peas

One of my favorite dishes used to be fried chicken. I would always make it with mashed potatoes, peas and gravy on the side. For some time now I have made a point to eat healthy. To stay heart healthy I have taken this old-time favorite and provided few twists making it both delicious and nutritious. You will be surprised by how crispy and tasty these chicken nuggets come out.

This is a quick meal to prep and have on the table. What will take time is the type of whole grain rice you choose. For this weeks meal I found a beautiful organic Marooned Rice, by Blue Moon Acres. Even if the rice takes an hour, the rest of this meal is so light and simple you will be able to relax in between. The Marooned rice has a unique sweet nutty flavor that goes very well with the chicken and honey mustard dipping sauce.

Happy eating friends!

Ingrid

Ingredients

Serves 4

Baked Fried Chicken & Sides
Coconut oil cooking spray
1 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Pecan pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon Paprika powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Eggs
1lb boneless, skinless Chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cup Whole Grain Rice, cook according to package
1 small package English Peas (or Sweet Peas)
3 tablespoons of butter softened
1/2 Lime juiced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Honey Mustard Dressing
5 tablespoons Honey
3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

Preparation

Start the rice as per instructions on packaging.
Preheat oven to 450º F. Thoroughly coat a wire rack with cooking spray and set on baking sheet.
Combine breadcrumbs, pecans, paprika powder and salt in a food processor; process until the pecans are finely chopped and the paprika powder is mixed throughout, about minute. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.
Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat, then dredge in the pecan mixture, turning to coat evenly. Shake off excess. (Discard any remaining egg and pecan mixture.) Place the chicken on the prepared rack.
Bake the chicken until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes.
In a medium-sized sauce pan, arrange the fresh peas in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes or until peas are tender.
Combine butter and lime juice in a medium-sized bowl. When the peas are done, remove them from the steamer and spread the butter over the peas. Let it melt evenly and stir adding salt and pepper to taste.
Combine all ingredients for the honey mustard sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Serve as a dressing or a dip with the chicken, rice and peas.

Mid week delicacy: Pho

Cold days just beg for warm dishes. There’s nothing like delighting your taste buds and raising your body temperature with a bowl of Pho. The popularity of this staple has soared in the USA in a span of a few years. Sometimes we are even forced to stand in a long line before we can enjoy a few gulps of this goodness. Of course, then there are days when there are no lines but we forget to bring our cash and have to opt for something next door that accepts a credit card. Rather than waiting in line or looking for cash, download this recipe, go to a supermarket to buy the ingredients and make this deliciousness in the comfort of your kitchen. You’ll be warm, proud and happy. Ready to try it? Here’s the Pho recipe.

Happy eating!
Hokuma & Ingrid

Mid week delicacy: Stewed Okra

As the weather in the North gets cold we crave warmer weather. This week we take you to the south with warm and comforting food. Stewed okra with grits. Sounds good? Wait until you taste it. As always, this recipe will sure be a hit with all picky eaters, that includes the kids. Download the Stewed Okra recipe and give it a try, and let us know what you think.

Happy eating!
Hokuma & Ingrid

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Mid week delicacy: Cumin-roasted Cauliflower

Have you ever noticed that herbs and spices can add amazing flavors to any dish by uplifting its aroma and taste? We did too and that’s why this week we mix the deliciousness of cumin with vegetables, ensuring that any picky eater will want to take a bite of this pasta! And those who are in love with meat, and eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, don’t worry, we got you covered! Carnivores and omnivores rejoice, here is this week’s Cumin-roasted cauliflower recipe.

Happy eating!
Hokuma & Ingrid

Here’s a look at the instructions:

Mid week delicacy: Moist Chocolate Cake

It’s February! This marks a month of love and holds the promise of a coming spring. What better way to celebrate the two than with a chocolate layered, chocolate filled and chocolate frosted cake? Here is a super easy to make recipe of the Moist chocolate cake that will leave everyone, from friends to loved ones, drooling and jumping for joy. Below you’ll find what’s waiting inside this mid week’s delicacy.