Leave no part behind: How to start cooking from root to stem!

When it comes to the fight against food waste, one easy way to make an impact is to be intentional about using the whole ingredient.  Root-to-stem cooking is a form of cooking where every part of the plant plays an important role in the dishes we create. Plus, it’s a tasty solution that can help reduce your environmental impact and your grocery bill by up to 25 percent!  This eco-friendly, culinary trend has quickly gained momentum to become a staple in home cooking, here’s how you can try it yourself.

Start with the stalks. Broccoli and cauliflower florets tend to get the most love, but their stalks are not only perfectly edible, they taste really good too! Try chopping them in a food processor for an easy and healthy rice alternative.

Oh, kale yeah! The stems in kale, Swiss chard and collards are perfectly edible and add a nice crunch when cooked until tender with their greens. You can also dehydrate them and create a super greens powder that can be added to your morning smoothie.

It’s actually pretty easy being green. When it comes to leafy carrot, beet or radish greens, Kermit had it all wrong. These tops are packed with flavor and can be added to salads or pesto for an extra boost of nutrients.

Appeal to your taste buds.There is no need to peel carrots, potatoes or sweet potatoes, in fact if you do, you end up losing a lot of their nutritional value! A simple scrub is all that is necessary, but if you prefer to peel, try tossing them with olive oil, salt and pepper and baking them into a crisp veggie chip or salad topper.

Stretch it out.Don’t have enough of one item to make a whole dish? Think about what you can add to help fill it out. Pasta, beans, rice, and eggs can quickly turn leftover sides into a meal.

Get your just desserts. Incorporating overripe fruits and veggies like bananas, carrots and zucchini into baked goods can help save them a trip to the compost bin while creating a healthy breakfast treat.

Universally loved. When in doubt, these go to recipe ideas are a great way to use up leftover bits and pieces on the fly: smoothies, frittatas, omelettes, & hash, stir fries & fried rice, soups & stocks, pickles, pestos & sauces.

Start cooking root-to-stem with farm-to-doorstep produce delivery from Hungry Harvest and double your impact by fighting food waste before it enters your home. Customizable boxes are available in a variety of sizes and options – including organic – and start at just $15. Every Harvest saves at least 10 pounds of produce from going to waste and helps support the work of local hunger-solving organizations in the Triangle, including the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school system and the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

For more information or to check out what Hungry Harvest has to offer, head over to hungryharvest.net. Use code CH50 for half off your first harvest.

 

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