As a vegan writer and blogger, I have my fair share of eating out. But unbelievably, I do spend a substantial amount of time at home. For me, home cooking is what started my love affair with food and trying new things.
As much as I love someone else cooking for me, I enjoy those home food and cooking basics. You can still enjoy a fabulous meal at home while using up what is already in your fridge or cupboard. Here are just some of my tips for making the most out of food at home.
Use up what I already have.
There are always going to be foods in my cupboard and fridge that will need using up. The key is to use them before they turn on you. If I buy new foods, I make sure I move older foods to the front of the fridge or cupboard.
In my fridge, I dedicate a crisper drawer to foods that need using up first. In my cupboard, I like to transfer foods to see-through containers so I can see what I have and how much of it I need to use.
If I have some ingredients that I do not know what to do with, I look up a recipe on the internet that uses all or most of them. That way, I find a new recipe and make something yummy and I have not tried before.
Only buy what I need.
The best way to reduce the amount of unwanted food I buy is to make a shopping list first. That way, I go into a supermarket, only buy what I need and leave. I must admit, I do not like grocery shopping, so I make sure I spend as little time at the supermarket as possible and I avoid wandering the aisles.
If I shop late weekend or at night, I can find some great items at a reduced price. I also like to buy an item in a bigger quantity if it is on special. Pumpkin is one item that can be the star of the show and I can make a lot of stuff with it. I will make a stew and a soup with it, while roasting some off to have with veggie burgers. My fridge is then filled with ready-made meals for the working week ahead.
Refresh or re-purpose items to reduce food waste.
I hate to see decent food go to waste. If you only buy what you need you already reduce the amount of food going to landfill. If I have some celery, I will pop this into a bowl of icy water, and it returns to crispy in no time. If I buy fresh herbs, I will pop some water in a glass and put the herbs in – stem first – so they can get a drink before I use them up. If I open a jar of tomato paste, I will use what I need then put the rest in a container in the freezer.
Sometimes, avocadoes can go soft quickly. If this happens, I will just make an avocado mousse dessert. Same goes for baby spinach. If I have more than what my recipes ask for, I add some to my morning smoothies.
Put my freezer to work!
At the end of the day, we are all guilty of making or buying more than what we need. If I have a couple of slabs of tofu or tempeh that are close to the use-by date, I will pop them in the freezer to use another time. If a make a big pot of soup, I will pop it into containers in single serves, keep what I need in the fridge then pop a couple in the freezer. I always make sure I label the containers, so I know what is in each.
Swap food with friends and family.
If I have some excess food that is still perfect, or if my family and friends do, I encourage a food swap. That way, I swap what I do not need for something I do need. If I am not seeing friends and family, I will donate food to my local Food is Free pantry. As a wise person once said: ‘sharing is caring.’
