I cry when I have to throw out vegetables because they've gone bad. A green smoothie is so sad without it's spinach half.
Okay, I don't really cry, but it does hurt my heart a little bit. When I first ventured on a healthier lifestyle I had a hard time knowing what to do with random vegetables without a recipe in front of me.
These days, hot & cold veggie bowls have saved the day. Here's a little how-to create a yummy lunch without letting your random produce go to waste!
First, a well-rounded (and deeeeelish!) meal (in my opinion) consists of a lean protein, lots of vegetables (a mix of roasted and raw is my favorite), healthy grain, and a tasty sauce/dressing. If you think of your plate as a pie-chart, I try to consume 50% veg, 25% protein, and 25% grain. In general, I think that's a pretty good standard to live by.
The best thing about this type of preparation is: you can get components prepped and roasting and then think of the flavor you'd like. It's can be challenging to conceive exactly what flavor you want the second you enter the kitchen (especially after a long day!).
Not following me? Here's how I prepped yesterday's lunch:
Vegetables to use before spoiling:
Sweet potato
broccoli
tomato
cucumber
Protein of choice:
firm tofu
Grain of choice:
quinoa
1. I started by dicing the tofu (and pressing it), chopping the tomatoes/cukes, and roasting the sweet potatoes (peeled and diced first) and broccoli.
2. Next, I sprayed the broccoli and sw potato with olive oil, dusted them with sea salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven. At the same time, I prepared the quinoa according to the instructions on the label.
(Roasted broccoli)
3. I sprayed the pressed and chopped tofu with olive oil, dusted with S&P, and added a little nutritional yeast.
4. While the veggies roasted and tofu browned, I peeked in the cabinets and fridge to see what kind of sauce/dressing I'd like to add (or to see what we had!). Since I was planning to eat the veg/tofu mix (which is a roasted/raw combo) cold as I'd be bringing it to work, I thought a tasty salad dressing would go well (Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette was the winner!).
SO TELL ME
What's your favorite way to use up produce?
Sounds super yummy! :D
ReplyDeletehttp://annawalker1992.blogspot.com/
That looks great -- can you bring me lunch?
ReplyDeleteI usually just eat salads most days so the produce gets eaten ... but if ever it looks like we won't finish something (eg travel), I'll throw most veggies in the freezer!
Even if spinach is starting to get a little slimy, you can toss the bag in the freezer and use in smoothies! (Uh, just use less spinach when it's frozen. I learned the hard way that it *is* possible to add too much spinach!)
Your blog looks great! I normally use veggies for soup--I love soup! I will also throw some into a freezer bag for making soup later on. Or I will feed them to the chickens--not the most cost effective, but I figure I'll get it back in the protein from the eggs.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Your blog looks so great!! What a nice surprise. Thanks for the tip - it simplifies veggies for me.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite way to use up produce is to stick it in the blender for a smoothie or make a veggie soup depending on what I have.
I love to use up produce in a huge salad! The more ingredients, the better. I also love just having a huge fruit plate as a snack. So good, especially in the summer.
ReplyDeleteDealing with waste and waste issues is a big thing of mine -it's what got me into an environmental subject at Uni and in my career, and very nearly what keeps me up at night.
ReplyDeleteWe try to buy only what we need (buy one get one free's are only good if they don't go off!) and I tend to use up produce in Random Lunches (for example, today I had a slightly hard bread roll with squishy tomatoes and miso soup!).
Off-cuts we put into a bokashi bin which then becomes compost for my "garden". We try not to send anything to landfill.
I will try putting produce in smoothies. Soft fruit probably works really well in it, eh?
Loving your reuse of jars! I'll have to do some of that...
@Nikki @ Balance and Moderation Thank you!
ReplyDelete@merrymishaps That's a good tip! I never thought to freeze the veggies.
ReplyDelete@Becki Thanks! I love using mason jars as glasses and think they're pretty darn cute too :0)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, I like to put almost bad veggies on PIZZA!!
ReplyDeleteI like to throw veggies on their last legs in a stir fry. Love the idea of tofu with nutritional yeast!
ReplyDeleteStir fry is a great idea! Freezing is even better! Found your blog on PBFingers, and we have a lot in common! I'm a Ph.D. student studying immunology, and I have a health/fitness blog as well :-)
ReplyDelete