Beeston Energy Saving Ideas |
AVOIDING FOOD MILES AND FOOD WASTE
HOW TO AVOID FOOD MILES & FOOD WASTEFOOD MILES
Food grown locally (in season) saves carbon emissions unlike food flown from far away (except in a heated greenhouse, when it is better grown outdoors in Spain). FOOD WASTE (SAVE MONEY!) More bread, by weight, is thrown away than any other type of food. (The top 5 are milk, potatoes, cooked meals, soft drinks and bread.) Using up left over food not only saves you money but also reduces the carbon emissions from growing and transporting it.
USING UP BREAD
Breadcrumbs: Whiz leftover bread in a food processor, or grate it; use it straight away or store in the freezer in smallish portions, e.g. a cupful, in plastic bags. Use in nut loaf, meatballs, burgers etc. Or, fry lightly with garlic and butter to make a great topping for gratin dishes, cauliflower cheese, pasta dishes etc. Bread pudding - Great for filling gaps in lunch boxes
Chilli con tofu - A vegetarian version of chili con carne Make sure you boil the beans thoroughly for 10 minutes and cook them at least 30 minutes in total. (N.B. Raw kidney beans are poisonous.)
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Find more recipe ideas for food in season here. |
USING UP VEGETABLES - Ways to use up leftover vegetables, cooked and uncooked.
Soup - One way to use up, for instance, COOKED carrot, broccoli or cabbage
Frittata: You need per serving:
Leftover COOKED vegetables roughly chopped. (About half a cup)
1 egg, beaten with a tbsp. water or milk
A bit of onion, chopped A bit of sweet pepper, sliced or chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil A scrap of bacon or salami (optional)
Pinch of mixed herbs
Stir fried noodles: (serves 1 hungry person or 2 for a light meal)
A big cupful of any leftover veg. sliced up fairly small. (Even leftover salad can go into this including cucumber and lettuce.)
Soup - One way to use up, for instance, COOKED carrot, broccoli or cabbage
- Soften ½ an onion for 1 or 2 mins. in butter or oil, add the chopped veg. and stir. After a few seconds add hot stock (or leftover gravy) and simmer 10 mins.
- Adjust flavour by adding a little vinegar or lemon juice, salt and sugar/honey. You can leave chunky or purée.
- Leftover rice, pasta or potato can be added, plus a squirt of tomato sauce.
Frittata: You need per serving:
Leftover COOKED vegetables roughly chopped. (About half a cup)
1 egg, beaten with a tbsp. water or milk
A bit of onion, chopped A bit of sweet pepper, sliced or chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil A scrap of bacon or salami (optional)
Pinch of mixed herbs
- Soften the onion and bacon (if used) in the oil.
- Add the sweet pepper and cooked veg. Cook gently a few minutes.
- Pour on the egg and allow to almost set. Sprinkle with herbs and seasoning.
- At this point you can add some grated cheese and place the whole pan under the grill just to melt it. If it’s a large one, cut into wedges to serve.
Stir fried noodles: (serves 1 hungry person or 2 for a light meal)
A big cupful of any leftover veg. sliced up fairly small. (Even leftover salad can go into this including cucumber and lettuce.)
- Leftover shredded chicken or ham (optional)
- 1 packet instant noodles
- 1 small onion, sliced 1 fat garlic clove, crushed/chopped
- ½ inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into little match sticks
- ½ tbsp. plain veg. oil ½ tbsp. sesame oil
- Place the noodles in a flat-bottomed dish and retrieve the sachet of flavouring. Pour boiling water onto the noodles to cover.
- Use the oil to fry the onion, ginger and garlic on medium heat.
- Add the cooked veg. and meat (if using), sprinkle on the contents of the flavour sachet and stir fry.
- Drain the noodles and add to pan, sprinkle on the sesame oil and toss.
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