Sounds like an oxy-moron doesn’t it?
Here’s an example of what I mean…..
Yesterday was ‘Fishy Friday’ (each week we alternate between ‘Fajita Friday’ – Benji’s favourite, and ‘Fishy Friday’ – Benji’s not-so-favourite!).
Friday's menu was 'Baked Seabass with lemon caper dressing' (recipe below), served with pureed celeriac (1 steamed celeriac blended with 1 tbsp walnut oil, Rude Health oat milk, sea salt & ground pepper), steamed green peas, and garlic wilted spinach (500g bag of baby spinach, 2 tbsp olive oil, & 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped)
Ingredients (Serves 4):
4 x 100g/4oz sea bass fillets
Olive oil, for brushing
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tbsp juice
2 tbsp Crespo or Opies Organic small capers (citric acid free), soaked for 5 minutes in water to remove the vinegar
2 tsp Biona gluten-free Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
Make the dressing by mixing the oil with the lemon zest and lemon juice, capers, mustard, sea salt and ground black pepper and 1 tbsp water. Don't add the parsley yet (unless serving straight away) as the acid in the lemon will fade the colour if they're left together for too long.
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and put the fish, skin-side down. Brush the fish with oil and sprinkle with some flaky salt. Bake for 7 mins or until the flesh flakes when tested with a knife. Arrange the fish on warm serving plates, spoon over the dressing and scatter with extra parsley leaves, if desired.
_______________________
The celeriac was so large we were left with a sizeable amount of puree. It didn’t need to go to waste though. Leftover root mash & purees can be turned into delicious creamy soups.
So for today’s lunch, I whipped up a Celeriac, white bean and rosemary soup. I gently sauteed one brown onion in a saucepan until transparent, then added 2 cloves of chopped garlic and sauteed for 2 minutes. 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 230g of cannellini beans (with 50g beans kept aside to add whole to the soup just prior to serving) and the left-over celeriac puree were then added to the saucepan, along with 300ml of vegetable stock. The soup was brought up to the boil, and the heat then reduced to a gently simmer for 10 minutes. The soup was then left to cool until it was a suitable temperature for blending. The pureed soup was returned to a saucepan and the remaining cannellini beans were added and warmed through. I served the soup with a drizzle of my homemade rocket pesto.
Here are more examples of how you can reduce food waste by reusing leftovers:
Roast root veggies for dinner and then toss leftovers into a lunch salad
https://www.jessicagavin.com/harvest-roasted-root-vegetable-salad-with-farro/ (for a gluten-free dish, replace the farro for Quinola Quinoa)
Steam white potatoes for dinner and then saute leftovers to make a breakfast potato hash (I’d recommend not using Beyond Meat Sausages if you have digestive issues or any neurological disorders such as anxiety, depression or migraines)
Cook a whole chicken for dinner, then use the remaining meat to make Thai green chicken curry; chicken & vegetable soup; chicken and asparagus risotto; or Asian-inspired chicken & lettuce wraps
Use left-over mashed sweet potato to make breakfast potato cakes (these can be served with Biona gluten-free baked beans or guacamole)
Use left-over mashed potato in a cottage pie
Add leftover pasta to a minestrone soup (you can add beans and pasta or just pasta)
Use Left over white or brown rice to make Mexican rice with black beans & guacamole
For more great money-saving, food recycling ideas, check out Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s book - River Cottage Love your leftovers. It might just reduce the number of tupaware boxes filled with mouldy food in your fridge!:)
PS: Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for regular nutrition and lifestyle tips x