Jeanette Hardison

Recipe by Mali of Corvallis (“Inspired by Becky from Love To Be In The Kitchen, and Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny (to name a few).)

MONEY SAVED: “not sure what the exact price would be, but it’s a great way to use up old veggies and get some extra nutrients in your snacks!

I recently went through yet another juicing phase, but towards the end of that journey I started to grow slightly disgusted by the texture of a homemade blender juice. I read that straining the fibers of the carrots and celery out of your juice gets rid of all of the good, healthy nutrients, so instead of simply throwing out the pulp, I decided to make muffins with it. Now, after a quick google search, I discovered that there were thousands of people who had the same idea as me, but this recipe is a culmination of all the aspects of a good muffin, inspired by Becky from Love To Be In The Kitchen, and Kelly from Eat Yourself Skinny (to name a few).

An additional plus of this recipe, is that you’ll have a good snack, and a drink to go alongside it when you’re done!

*** If you already have a preferred juicing recipe or any fruit/veggies that you need to get rid of, please feel free to sub or add whatever sounds good to you. You can throw just about anything in here – carrot or strawberry tops, old celery, you name it!

INGREDIENTS:

Here’s what I usually use, along with a cup or so of water (enough to make it easy for everything to blend, and stay the consistency that you want).
– 2 stocks of celery
– 1 carrot (green tops included!)
– 1 small – medium apple
– 1 tbsp whole ginger (peeled)
– 1-2 cups of spinach

After you’ve run it through your blender for a few minutes (time will vary based on your blender type – in my Vitamix it takes about 3-4 minutes on high!), pour it into a cup or pitcher through a cheesecloth or regular strainer.

Now, for the muffin recipe!

– 1 cup whole wheat flour
– ½ cup white flour
– ¼ cup oats
– 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– ½ teaspoon salt
– 2 tablespoons melted butter
– 1 egg, lightly beaten
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– ***1 ½ cups juice pulp
Optional: ½ cup honey — when I made this recipe, I wasn’t eating any type of sugar so I didn’t add honey, but my juice was already quite sweet from the apple.

If it seems like it needs more liquid, throw in some of your juice or add a mashed banana or some unsweetened apple sauce.

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat your oven to 350° F, and grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin.

2) In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, egg, vanilla extract, and pulp. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.

3) Divide batter evenly among muffin tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle, and place on a wire rack to cool.

4) Enjoy! This was a hit in my house, and I hope it is in yours too 🙂

*** = leftovers/waste prevention ingredients 🙂

Recipe by Donna P, Corvallis (“This is my ‘recipe’ although I use the word recipe here very loosely – since this is more of a broad style of food with lots of different variables.”)

MONEY SAVED: $10-20?

“This dish is very much inspired by the no food left behind concept and a love of noodle soup. It can be made vegan, vegetarian, kid friendly, carnivore style – any way you like since it is based on the foods that you are already eating. It’s a non-traditional take on a family favorite.

The foundation for this delicious and nutritious soup comes from a stock made from food scraps. As I go through the week, I have a gallon sized ziploc that I keep in the freezer. Whenever I am prepping food, I save the scraps that I am cutting off of the produce, like onion butts, carrot tops, chard stems, mushroom stems, bits of ginger that have gotten tough, meat bones – pretty much anything that isn’t funky or rotten, but just isn’t what you want in your main meal. This is a great way to get added nutrients in your diet from food that would pretty much be going to the compost!

(The one exception is that I tend to leave out things like broccoli stems or too much cabbage, since they they can start to smell a little too sulfurous if they are cooked too long.)”

Take the freezer bag full of food scraps out of the freezer and add to a large pot of boiling water. I usually add about twice as much water to dry ingredients.
🌱 Add a bit of salt to taste, red chili flakes if desired, and let boil for 1-2 hours.
🌱 When it is ready, strain the broth into a large bowl or jar, discarding the solids.

(This usually makes more than enough for the soup for my family so I allow the broth to cool and freeze the rest in pint sized containers)

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS for 2-4 servings:
4 cups of stock
2 blocks of ramen noodles
1 cup of “extras” like spinach, shredded cabbage or carrots, sliced radishes, a hard boiled egg, green onion, seaweed…
1-2 cups of leftovers such as baked chicken, stir fry, slaw, fried rice, etc.
2 Tbsp of miso paste (optional)

🍲 Bring the stock to a boil
🍲 Add the ramen noodles, and cook until tender.
🍲 Turn off heat.
🍲 Add all of the other ingredients, (Mix the miso paste with a bit of water first, to dissolve it, if using.)
🍲 Serve and Enjoy!

Recipe by Rebecka, of Corvallis

MONEY SAVED: $15-20

“I love the flavor combo of curry and coconut. Throw in a savory winter squash and I am over the moon!

This dish is great way to rescue food in two ways:

1. The broth. I save all bones, greens and mushroom stems, onion tops and any other veggie peel or piece worth saving – in a large bag stored in the freezer. Every few months or so I make broth and store it in a variety of re-used plastic containers in the freezer.
2. The veggie additions (fridge clean-out)! Almost anything goes!

• In general, I start by sauteing onions in a fat on hand (oil, butter, lard) and add curry spices (coriander, curry, turmeric, cumin). Sometimes I add in others depending on the smaller spice bags I need to clear out of the cupboard (ginger, fenugreek, mustard, garlic, pepper…).
• Add protein (optional, this dish can stand alone with out a protein source): I prefer chicken, fish or shrimp, but anything works.
• Add broth.
• Add left-over veggies. My favorites are winter squash, tomatoes (canned or fresh), potatoes and greens.
• Take off heat and pour a can of coconut milk on top mix. I like to add a squeeze of lime, too.
• Salt and pepper to taste. I like to fill it in pint jars and take it to work for lunch. Heat and pour of a rice or another cooked grain.

I make this recipe with bone broth and meat so – but it is adaptable to vegan, vegetarian etc. Yes it is kid-friendly.”

EXAMPLE RECIPE:
1 med. onion
2 Tbsp fat
1 Tbsp curry seasoning (curry, coriander, cumin, tumeric or your favorite curry blend)
1 quart of broth
*.5-1lb protein (optional; chicken, tofu, shrimp, fish)
2-4 cups of veggies (what’s in the fridge? A mix of starchy veggies, tomatoes and leafy greens)
1 can of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste.

Sautee onions in fat and spices for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add protein, brown with onions 3-5 minutes, medium heat, add broth. Cook protein in broth until fully cooked (3-5 minutes). Add 2 – 4 cups of leftover veggies, aiming for a mix of starchy veggies (potatoes, squash, carrots), tomatoes (if on hand), and leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, or chard). Cook for another 5 minutes until all left over veggies are fully cooked and soft enough to bite through, add water or more broth if needed to fully submerge the veggies with the protein. Take off heat.

Pour in a can of coconut milk ( or 1/2 depending on the size of your pot).

Salt and pepper to taste. Top with garden herbs (parsley, cilantro) if on hand.

Recipe by Donna T from daughter, Colleen

MONEY SAVED: $1

“Delicious pesto made from carrot tops that might otherwise be thrown away or composted. Great for dipping, filling small bell peppers, cooking with chicken. This is a vegan recipe.”

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup packed carrot tops, tough stems removed (item that would be discarded)
1 cup fresh kale, stems removed
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Pulse all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor. Scrape down sides. Start processor and slowly add olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape down sides and pulse until smooth. Can use immediately or refrigerate or freeze leftovers. Freeze the pesto on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Use an ice cream scoop or portion scoop to make small balls of dough on the parchment. Next day, pop them into a freezer bag and defrost as needed.

Recipe by Sarah B

MONEY SAVED:  $5/quart of organic veggie broth x 4 = $20

“I was first inspired to freeze my veggie scraps for stock by Bryant Terry, in his book Vegan Soul Kitchen.

I haven’t paid for vegetable stock in years. I make my own stock out of vegetable scraps leftover from cooking other dishes. This method turns what would have been compost into a plant-based umami-rich base for soups, and doesn’t produce any packaging waste. Making your own stock also allows you to control the amount of salt – I don’t salt my stock at all, knowing salt will be added later when I cook with it. Stock-making has become a quarterly routine for our household, as three months is about how long it takes us to use up our stock and save enough scraps for the next batch.”

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS:

Label a gallon freezer bag for stock scraps and put it in your freezer. Each time you cook with vegetables, place your scraps in the bag and stick them back in the freezer.

Ideal vegetable scraps include:
Carrot and parsnip ends and peels
Onion skins and ends
Mushroom stems
Cauliflower and cabbage cores and leaves
Kale stems
Celery stumps
Corn cobs
Any sad and wilted individuals from the bottom of your veggie crisper

Optional herbs and spices:
2 Bay leaves
1 small Head garlic, cloves separated and lightly crushed
Fresh herbs (such as parsley, thyme, oregano)
Dried mushrooms (such as shitake or porcini)

Once the bag is full, it’s time to make stock! This should be enough to make 3-4 quarts of stock.*

Empty the bag of frozen veggie scraps into a large stock pot, then add enough water to cover them. Add your choice of herbs and spices at this point. Heat on high until the stock comes to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 45-60 minutes, pressing down the veggies and stirring occasionally. The longer it simmers, the more concentrated your flavor will be.

Turn off the heat, and let the pot cool for at least an hour to develop even more flavor. Once cooled, strain the veggie scraps by pouring the stock through a strainer into a second pot or large bowl. Squeeze the scraps with your hands or press down on them with a spoon to release as much liquid and flavor as possible. Once all the veggies have been strained to your satisfaction, discard them in the compost.

The stock can now be used immediately, or poured into a mix of pint and quart freezer containers for later use. Be sure to label the containers with the contents and date.

Lastly, put a new bag in the freezer to start saving scraps for your next batch!

*If you are like me and prefer to do things in large quantities, wait until you have two gallon bags. This will make about 6-8 quarts of stock.

Recipe by Donna T from daughter, Colleen

MONEY SAVED: $2

“There is a lot of perceived waste with a watermelon. Make that rind into pickles and it becomes something delicious!”

INGREDIENTS/DIRECTIONS:

8 cups sliced peeled watermelon rind (2” x 1” pieces) – this item would potentially be discarded
6 cups water
1 cup canning salt
2 cups honey
2 cups white vinegar
6 cinnamon sticks (3” each), divided
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole peppercorns

Place rind in a large non-reactive (non-metal) bowl; stir in water and salt. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Rinse and drain well. In a large pot, mix honey, vinegar, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Add rind, return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until rinds are tender-crisp. Discard cinnamon sticks.

Place rinds into four hot 1-pint jars. Add hot liquid, leaving ½” headspace. Add 1 cinnamon stick to each jar. Wipe rims. Place hot, sterilized seals onto jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. Place jars into simmering water, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil, process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.