Yoga Journal Singapore — December 15, 2017

december 2017 / january 2018

yogajournal.com.sg

T

Got any of these things hanging around? Whip up a new dish with a few strategic additions

THERE OUGHT TO BE a specific word

to describe the feeling of throwing out

perfectly good food that still has prana, or

life force—you know, the leftover rice from

Indian takeout, the broccoli stalks your kid

won’t eat, those egg yolks when the recipe

only called for whites. It’s a combination

of regret, guilt, and ultimately surrender,

because really, what are you going to do with

a handful of veggie stems?

“We’ve gotten used to using only the

‘best’ parts of our produce and meat, and

tossing the ugly parts,” says New York

City chef Eddie McNamara, author of the

vegetarian cookbook Toss Your Own Salad.

We’re also up against modern food production

and marketing methods, which have moved

us unconsciously toward overbuying and

wasting, and away from the wise methods

our grandmothers used for stretching a

pantry—and a dollar. In fact, up to 40 percent

of food in the US gets thrown away, and

food waste is the single largest type of trash

going into municipal landfills, according to

the United States Department of Agriculture.

Meanwhile, 49 million US households struggle

with food insecurity. The dissonance that

comes from wasting sustenance is tragic.

The good news: Implementing a few simple

strategies at home can help you eat more

consciously and make good (and tasty) use

of things that would otherwise end up in

the trash or compost. “Food is precious,

whether it’s been raised, grown, or

foraged—and part of living consciously is

using all of it,” says yogi chef Louisa Shafia,

co-founder of Magpie Cookshop, a line of

eco-friendly kitchen products. “There’s a

feeling of deep satisfaction when you find a

way to make stray ingredients or leftovers

into something delicious and nourishing.

It’s a way of practicing ahimsa, or

nonharming, toward the earth.” Read on for

easy ways to preserve food and transform

your scraps into delicious meals.

New life for leftovers

Potato skins or carrot peels Drizzle with olive oil and salt, and roast at 400° until crispy, about 10 minutes, for healthy “fries”

Purée with 1 banana, a handful of berries, and 1 cup almond milk in a blender for a berry smoothie

Toss with fried eggs, salad greens, and chopped veggies for a hearty entrée salad

Chop, toss with olive oil, sauté, and then purée with Parmesan and pine nuts for a pesto-like

topping for pasta

Add enough beaten eggs to cover the leftovers in a baking pan, then bake at 350° for 25–30

minutes for a Chinese-takeout frittata

Add 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp paprika, and

cook over medium heat until heated through for veggie stew

Roll 2 cups berries in flour and combine with 21⁄2 cups oats, 2 cups water, 1 cup applesauce, 1 tbsp

vanilla extract, and honey to taste. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes for blueberry oatmeal muffins

Combine 3 overripe bananas with 2 cups flour, 1⁄2 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking

soda, 1 stick butter, and 2 eggs; bake at 350° for 1 hour for quick banana bread

Dice and combine with 1 cup pumpkin purée, 2 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, and 2

cups chicken broth; cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes for pumpkin-chicken chili

Leftover vegetables

A bruised apple

Extra carrot or beet greens

Mushy blueberries

Leftover chicken

Leftover Chinese food

Overripe bananas

Leftover cooked rice

If you have Make this dish

NOURISH

eat well