Food thread! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

[Ninkanink]

Thought I’d start a thread for everyone to post their tips and ideas on how best to use foodstuffs. Hoping it could be an easy guide as well for those who maybe aren’t so used to home cooking or using leftover foods, or understanding how best to utilise everything you have, expiry dates etc.

We have always been very conscious of food waste so we plan very carefully to use every scrap of food, it’s not hard, it’s just a skill one develops.

I’ll post some of my favourite leftover/using up bits meals and menus here and if anyone else wants to as well, please do!

That sounds really nice. We’re lucky-got a restaurant owner on the street who is doing veg boxes for us through his suppliers. We’re also supporting a local shop buy getting a veg box from them. Theirs is a traditional swede, parsnip, carrot, potato, cabbage type box. It’s nice to be able to order asparagus, aubergines etc without having to go to Asda.

Morning all! 🌷

@cricketmum84 if you have onions you could fry them down with a little bit of sugar to sweeten and caramelise, then add some Moroccan or Middle Eastern spices.

Or if you’d rather it was quick and easy maybe a little bit of honey would sweeten it up just enough.

Ohh, honey and smoked paprika!

Roasted red pepper (I cheat and use them from a jar) is also really good.

I like to keep some chick peas whole and put them in at the end for texture.

A big dollop of pesto on top with pine nuts is popular here.

Oh yes, roasted peppers is a very good shout.

So many yummy things...

Purple what do you have to use up? Make a list and we can make suggestions for your friday and saturday evening treat meals!

At the moment, almost everything is fresh, apart from five mushrooms I think I’m going to have on toast!

What I’ve got is...
Leeks, aubergines, red and white onions, swede, carrot, parsnips, Savoy cabbage, one red pepper, tomatoes, parsley, cavalo Nero, a sweet potato.
Also tofu, plus most store cupboard things and a tonne of dried herbs and spices.

Kind of overwhelmed by how much we have in at the moment!

Furble love the idea we are "upcycling* rather than just using up leftovers!

I have two plums to use that are past their best - any suggestions?

I made a hummus with roasted pumpkin in once, that was nice.
And just remembered another - flatbreads with soaked bulgar wheat in, helps stretch the flour a but if anyone has some bulgar kicking around unloved at the back of a cupboard somewhere!

A little mini crumble! Or mini tarte tatin.

Plum compote to pour on something, or plum sauce for meat of some sort?

Plum upside down cake?
Wix with other fruit for a crumble?

Plum chutney! A little portion to have with your crackers and cheese or liver pâté...

I made a delicious steak and ale casserole yesterday, with home made dumplings! I've definitely been craving comfort food since this began, need all the carbs right now. In fact I'd say this is me at the moment...

www.tasteofbeirut.com/flatbread-with-bulgur-meshtah/

Bulgar wheat bread

That bread looks fantastic. I love baking bread. Results are mixed. Delicious or awful-no inbetween.

My food plans keep getting messed up as DH keeps requesting his favourite comfort foods...Bless him, I think he’s more anxious about everyone’s health and safety than he wants to let on.

Today we had bacon sandwiches made with bacon and bread from the box yesterday. Heavenly! No eggs were delivered so I will have to be careful this week - think I will save eggs for baking.

Lunch will be crackers with cheese and chutney.

Dinner will be lasagne, with fresh coleslaw and garlic bread. As requested by DH. ☺️

@Furble Pioneer Woman is my favourite foodie comfort blanket too. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and safe.

Spam I'd slice up your two plums and make the NYT plum torte, just with the plum slices arranged on top in a spiral (if you have any other soft fruit you can slice and throw it on top too, frozen raspberries work well).

cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte

Leeks, aubergines, red and white onions, swede, carrot, parsnips, Savoy cabbage, one red pepper, tomatoes, parsley, cavalo Nero, a sweet potato. Also tofu, plus most store cupboard things and a tonne of dried herbs and spices.

Gosh that is a lovely lot of veg, good thing you're veggie (I think?) Ideas:

• cavolo nero sauteed with preserved (or fresh) lemon and smoked paprika
• if you can get some puff pastry, make a tomato tart by smearing the base of the pastry with dijon mustard and arranging sliced tomatoes on top, if you can get some tarragon that's a fantastic addition as well
• if you can get some stork or similar, I'd make home-made pasties with the swede, carrot and parsnips and some cheese
• make wedges with the sweet potatoes and make a dipping sauce of creme fraiche or yoghurt, lime juice & zest, and lemongrass if you can find it
• some lovely cabbage recipes here: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/feb/08/cabbage-recipes-10-best

I'm actually slicing a whole savoy cabbage tonight into slabs, but sitting it under a spatchcocked chicken as it roasts to make super shmaltzy cabbage - but not much good for veggies, sorry!!

Thanks all. One of the plums was mouldy inside when I cut it open, so I just made a little plum and apple crumble.

Would also welcome ideas for quinoa 😬bought a packet aaaages ago and have never used it.

Obviously depends on what you have to hand, but we had a lovely quinoa salad a while back with lots of fresh coriander and some cucumbers for freshness, along with charred cherry tomatoes and yoghurt (Ottolenghi recipe), fried halloumi, red pepper houmous and toasted pita bread. Unfortunately the quinoa itself was from a pouch so I’ve no idea what the spices/aromatics were in there, but I’d go with lots of olive oil, garlic, chilli, spices, herbs etc, maybe some roast veg, and add fresh herbs at the end if you have any.

damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/
This looks tasty for quinoa