Waste Not, Want Not Recipes in February
by Elise Griffith
Growing up, waste was a dirty word in my household. I attribute this to the fact that my mom was born at the end of the Great Depression, and her mother never, ever threw anything away that might still have a use. Therefore, the only time my lovely, classy, proper mom swore was when she was cleaning out the refrigerator and tossing unintended science experiments into the trash bin. She was a busy, working mom for most of those years and didn't have the time or energy to think up creative ways to use up leftovers and produce before it grew moldy. If you find yourself in the same predicament on a semi-regular basis, you'll like some of the ideas and recipes this month.
"From Scrap" cooking has yielded many very tasty results in my own kitchen. Obviously, you want to be safe in any meals you're preparing for yourself and/or your family, so I have a few important suggestions:
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The freezer is your best friend.
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Less than pretty fresh produce is often still edible.
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When in doubt, refer to the USDA for guidelines on food safety.
For example, I recently went through the produce in my fridge and came across two-week-old celery and baby carrots, a half white onion, a just barely wrinkled red bell pepper and a crown of broccoli. Since I'd recently purchased some pork chops at $1.49 per pound, I halved and seeded the bell pepper and soaked it in cold water in the fridge to rehydrate while I cut up the meat and other vegetables to make a terrific, Asian-style recipe that makes four adult servings.
Budget Friendly Broccoli Pork
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 large uncooked pork chops, deboned and cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ white onion, sliced
- 2-3 stalks celery, sliced on angle
- 10-12 baby carrots, sliced on angle
- ½ cup seeded, sliced red bell pepper
- 1 can (10 ¾ ounce) condensed golden mushroom soup
- 1 small to medium broccoli crown, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
In a large, nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat on the stove top and quickly brown your pork pieces. Add onion, celery, and carrot slices and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. Reduce cooking temperature to low, add sliced red bell pepper, spoon condensed soup on top of meat and vegetables, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove pan lid and stir in chopped broccoli, cover again and simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve over cooked rice. My total cost was about $5.00, or $1.25 per serving, plus I didn't waste a thing.
What if you grilled up several pork chops, and now find yourself with leftovers? Let's say your first meal included the grilled pork chops, Candied Yam Casserole (see recipe at end of column), and whole green beans steamed with sliced, Baby Bella mushrooms, as pictured.
Our next dish uses grilled pork chops with revived and frozen spinach and arugula. What I mean by "revived," is when fresh greens have started to wilt, I'll soak them in a clean sink filled with very cold water for 20-30 minutes, pat them dry and tuck them into a zip top freezer bag, pressing out any excess air. Then, when I'm ready to use them, I simply the crush the bag of frozen greens for no-work chopping. Added to cooked pasta with chopped, grilled meat and sauce — a satisfying casserole fit for a potluck that is quick and easy.
Potluck Favorite Grilled Pork Alfredo
- 2 cups chopped, grilled pork chop meat
- 4 cups cooked pasta, such as ziti from Dollar Tree (or whole wheat, if you prefer)
- 1 ½ cups purchased or homemade Alfredo sauce
- 1 cup chopped, frozen spinach, arugula or other greens
- ¾ cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 X 11 inch baking dish with canola oil spray. In a large bowl, combine meat, pasta, greens and Alfredo sauce, mixing well. Spoon and spread into baking dish, top with shredded cheese, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove covering and bake an additional 5-7 minutes uncovered. The recipe makes about 8 adult sized servings for a total cost of about $5.00.
From Where I Cook… little goes to waste in my house, thanks in part to my frugal cooking mentors. Leftovers often become "new" meals and, in fact, I plan on them! For example, when I bake russet potatoes or yams in the oven, I'll sometimes bake more than we need for a meal. Baked, cooled potatoes or yams can then be scooped out for mashed potatoes, casseroles, soups, and more. Did you know baked potatoes can be frozen? When using yams, I like to scoop out the pulp, add a small amount of butter, brown sugar, milk and egg—pulsing it in my food processor—before baking in a small casserole dish in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. The resulting casserole is creamy and sweet with a scant tablespoon or two of sugar for up to 6 servings, and the yam skins are reserved for filling with homemade stuffing with leftover cooked sausage before baking.
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I've also used mashed, cooked carrots or baked yam pulp in desserts. Using a boxed spice cake mix, reduce water by half, oil to no more than 2 tablespoons, and add 1 cup mashed yellow vegetables with the eggs before mixing up the batter. Stir in chopped pecans and raisins before pouring batter into a prepared Bundt pan and bake as directed on the box of mix. Voila! The resulting cake is moist, delicious and far more nutritious than ordinary cake! Oh . . . and I wash and reuse bakery department cake covers, too.
No waste habits not only save money, they're positively delicious. I hope you'll give it a try.
