So this week I have been thinking about my top tips to help reduce wasted food.
This was inspired by both volunteering for FoodCycle (see earlier post), but also from the fact that I struggled a bit last week and found myself buying ingredients when I already had stuff ready to be used in the fridge.
I'm not going to pretend that cooking from the store cupboard is always easy - in reality some nights you are tired and feel uninspired by what you can see in front of you.
But then I was so annoyed at the weekend when I had to throw away food that could have been used during the week, or certainly rescued before making a trip to the bin. So I decided to come up with some tips to help me re-focus on what The Store Cupboard Veggie is all about - reducing the waste and making delicious vegetarian food.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be trying to post recipes and ideas with the following in mind. Some will even tick more than one box...how's that for multi-tasking?! Try to remember these when deciding what to eat, and hopefully we can all reduce the waste at least a bit.
1. Experiment - don't be afraid to try using the ingredients you have to hand
2. Don't stick to recipes - use recipes as inspiration, not a step-by-step guide
3. Use it all up recipes - have these on hand for when you have a lot of ingredients that need using, and possibly not a lot of time to use them
4. Use the freezer - to both store left-over food, but also to keep some of those ingredients fresh!
5. Spices - stock up, and actually use them! Having the right selections of spices to hand can transform a lot of tired ingredients
6. Prioritise - what needs to be used? Try to use fresh ingredients before turning to tinned or frozen food
7. Plan plan plan. Think about what ingredients you have, and how to get the most out of them.
Monday, 24 March 2014
Saturday, 15 March 2014
FoodCycle Volunteering
Today I spent the morning and some of the afternoon volunteering with FoodCycle Wandsworth - a great charity that is working to combine surplus food with hungry communities! As you know if you have read any of my other posts, I am on a mission to reduce the amount of food I waste at home - and FoodCycle does this too, but on a much larger scale.
They work with local shops to take any produce that is perfectly fine to eat but that people wont buy. Fresh bread from the bakery that didn't sell yesterday, slightly bashed fruit and veg, or boxes of eggs when one or two have been broken. I was astounded by the amount of food that was donated by the local shops. More than two shopping trolleys full of bread and two large bags full of boxes of eggs from one supermarket, for example. Where that would have gone if it hadn't been claimed by FoodCycle is anybodies guess, but I would imagine the bin.
The aim is to make three courses from the donated food, and then serve these to anyone from the local community with a sit down meal. It guarantees a filling and healthy meal once a week for those that may not get it otherwise, plus brings different people in the community together.
The starter was bruschetta, and given the huge amount of eggs we had we decided the best idea was frittata for the main course - already one of my favourites for using up eggs and sad vegetables, see my Home-made Mondays Cauliflower Fritatta.
I was put on frittata duty, and I have never fully appreciated before how long it takes to peel potatoes for 50 portions. Despite the lack of a frying pan, plus an oven that was as much use as trying to cook with a hairdryer, the frittata turned out pretty well I think...I hope....no-one complained so that's a good sign, right?!
This was all topped off with an apple compote with cinnamon eggy bread, and some brilliant community spirit!
So check out FoodCycle, or see if there is anything similar in your area. It was tiring but satisfying, and I would highly recommend it.
They work with local shops to take any produce that is perfectly fine to eat but that people wont buy. Fresh bread from the bakery that didn't sell yesterday, slightly bashed fruit and veg, or boxes of eggs when one or two have been broken. I was astounded by the amount of food that was donated by the local shops. More than two shopping trolleys full of bread and two large bags full of boxes of eggs from one supermarket, for example. Where that would have gone if it hadn't been claimed by FoodCycle is anybodies guess, but I would imagine the bin.
The aim is to make three courses from the donated food, and then serve these to anyone from the local community with a sit down meal. It guarantees a filling and healthy meal once a week for those that may not get it otherwise, plus brings different people in the community together.
The starter was bruschetta, and given the huge amount of eggs we had we decided the best idea was frittata for the main course - already one of my favourites for using up eggs and sad vegetables, see my Home-made Mondays Cauliflower Fritatta.
I was put on frittata duty, and I have never fully appreciated before how long it takes to peel potatoes for 50 portions. Despite the lack of a frying pan, plus an oven that was as much use as trying to cook with a hairdryer, the frittata turned out pretty well I think...I hope....no-one complained so that's a good sign, right?!
This was all topped off with an apple compote with cinnamon eggy bread, and some brilliant community spirit!
So check out FoodCycle, or see if there is anything similar in your area. It was tiring but satisfying, and I would highly recommend it.
Friday, 14 March 2014
Home-made Mondays - Easy Cauliflower Frittata
My recipe for home-made Mondays this week was inspired by a rather under appreciated vegetable - the cauliflower.
I tend to use it in curries, and it always works a treat. But I never use a whole head of cauliflower so end up left with some in the fridge. Not enough for cauliflower cheese, but I don't want it to go to waste as that would defeat the whole point of what I'm aiming to do! Must.reduce.the.waste.
I have seen quite a few vegan and gluten free recipes that use cauliflower as a substitute for anything from pizza bases to rice. I am yet to try this, but I will obviously keep you updated on my success/failure when I do!
In the mean time here is my recipe for cauliflower frittata. It ticks quite a lot of boxes; healthy, protein rich, left-over friendly, easy and delicious.
200g cauliflower florets - bite size
200g potatoes - 1cm cubed. Peeled if using older potatoes.
5 Spring onions - sliced thinly
5 eggs
100ml milk
Handful frozen peas
Olive oil
20-50g grated/crumbled cheese - cheddar, parmesan, feta
Preheat your grill to a medium heat.
Par boil the potatoes. Steam the cauliflower at the same time.
Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat gently with a fork. Add in the milk, spring onions, frozen peas, cooked cauliflower and potatoes. Season well, and give it a mix.
Heat a glug of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan (preferably one with an oven proof handle!). Pour in the egg mixture. Cook on a very low heat - be patient with this as otherwise you will burn the bottom and have uncooked egg on top. Not tasty!
After around 15 minutes on a low heat the bottom of the fritatta should be cooked. It will have firmed up around the very edges and be bubbling slightly in the middle.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Pop under the grill for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Keep a close eye on it.
Serve hot, warm or cold with a side salad and some bread if you like.
I tend to use it in curries, and it always works a treat. But I never use a whole head of cauliflower so end up left with some in the fridge. Not enough for cauliflower cheese, but I don't want it to go to waste as that would defeat the whole point of what I'm aiming to do! Must.reduce.the.waste.
I have seen quite a few vegan and gluten free recipes that use cauliflower as a substitute for anything from pizza bases to rice. I am yet to try this, but I will obviously keep you updated on my success/failure when I do!
In the mean time here is my recipe for cauliflower frittata. It ticks quite a lot of boxes; healthy, protein rich, left-over friendly, easy and delicious.
200g cauliflower florets - bite size
200g potatoes - 1cm cubed. Peeled if using older potatoes.
5 Spring onions - sliced thinly
5 eggs
100ml milk
Handful frozen peas
Olive oil
20-50g grated/crumbled cheese - cheddar, parmesan, feta
Preheat your grill to a medium heat.
Par boil the potatoes. Steam the cauliflower at the same time.
Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat gently with a fork. Add in the milk, spring onions, frozen peas, cooked cauliflower and potatoes. Season well, and give it a mix.
Heat a glug of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan (preferably one with an oven proof handle!). Pour in the egg mixture. Cook on a very low heat - be patient with this as otherwise you will burn the bottom and have uncooked egg on top. Not tasty!
After around 15 minutes on a low heat the bottom of the fritatta should be cooked. It will have firmed up around the very edges and be bubbling slightly in the middle.
Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Pop under the grill for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Keep a close eye on it.
Serve hot, warm or cold with a side salad and some bread if you like.
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