Food Fruition Presents...
Tasty
Climate Friendly
Recipes
Find out how you can enjoy tasty meals and reduce food waste by trying the
recipes from this book or use them to get some ideas for your own recipes.
This file includes tips to reduce food waste and eat leftovers healthily as
well as some recipes provided by the local community for
Food Fruition’s recipe competition.
Food Safety
General tips
Rice, couscous and bulgur wheat
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To avoid food poisoning caused by bacteria:
• It is best to eat rice immediately after cooking.
• Place leftover rice in the fridge within an hour after it has been cooked
and eat within 24 hours.
Make sure that food is fully cooked.
Do not reheat leftovers more than once.
Wash your hands thoroughly before you start preparing food.
Prepare, handle and store raw meat separately.
Keep chopping boards, utensils and work surfaces clean.
Check ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates*
Potatoes
To avoid toxins in potatoes:
• Do not store potatoes in the fridge. Store them in a dark, dry and cool
place instead.
• Do not eat sprouting or green potatoes.
• Do not burn or overcook them when baking, roasting or frying.
• Do not eat raw.
Eggs
To avoid food poisoning caused by bacteria:
• Eggs shouldn’t be eaten after the ‘best before’ date.
• Cook them thoroughly and make sure that both yolk and white are solid.
• Store them in the fridge and keep them separated from other foods.
• Place leftovers of dishes containing eggs in the fridge as soon as possible and eat within 2 days.
*’Use by’ date: After the end of this date food shouldn’t be eaten.
‘Best before’ date: Food can be eaten after this date although its quality may
not be at its best.
Climate Friendly Foods
Some tips to reduce your carbon footprint associated with food are:
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A diet based on vegetables and cereals is generally more environmentally-friendly than meat and dairy products.
Eating in season and locally grown fruit and vegetables.
Reducing food waste.
Less processed foods and less travelled are generally better.
Preparation method
1.
2.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic until it softens (2-3
minutes over medium heat).
Add the water and bring to the boil (if you are using raw pasta, add at this stage).
3.
Add the raw vegetables (except
for the beans) and reduce
the heat. Cook for further 10
minutes stirring regularly.
4.
Add the beans and and cook
for 3 more minutes.
Ingredients
5.
7.
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6.
Add the tomato puree and
seasoning and cook for 2 minutes.
If you are using cooked pasta
or vegetables add them just
before serving making sure
they’re hot.
Pour into bowls and sprinkle the
cheese on top.
For extra flavour you can add
dried or fresh herbs such as
oregano, basil and thyme; finely
chopped meat such as bacon,
ham, or chorizo.
Minestrone
Minestrone is great for using cooked leftover vegetables or pasta. You can use
most vegetables for this fancy Italian soup, just check what’s in your fridge.
Some suggestions are: tomatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks,
green cabbage, spinach peas, green beans) and/or any kind of cooked or
tinned beans (runner beans, kidney beans, cannellini, etc).
1 tbsp olive oil
400g of mixed washed and chopped vegetables
1 cup of cooked pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
400g (1 tin) of tomato puree or passatta
1 1/2 cups of water or stock
Grated cheese
(Optional: Salt, pepper and herbs)
8.
Note: Carrots and potatoes take longer than other vegetables to cook.
If they are finely chopped they will cook faster. Shredded cabbage and
spinach will cook in 2 minutes so it’s best to add them in the end.
Preparation method
Pasta or Potato Omelet
Use leftover pasta or potatoes to make a fantastic omelet!
Ingredients
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1 cup cooked pasta or potatoes
2 eggs
Olive oil
(Optional: for extra flavour you can add cheese, salt, spices like
nutmeg or pepper, or vegetables such as courgettes, cooked
aubergines and/or mushrooms.)
1.
2.
Mix 2 eggs in a bowl with the
leftover pasta or potatoes.
Add the other ingredients, salt
and cheese.
3.
4.
Place the oil in the pan and
add the mixture when the oil is
hot. Cook until set.
Flip over and cook for another
minute or until cooked.
Preparation method
1.
2.
Paella
Put the oil in a pan over medium heat and stir in the chopped onion,
peppers and garlic.
Add the rest of the ingredients (except for the water and spices) and stir
until partially fried.
Although the ingredients of traditional paella are quite specific, you can use
almost any vegetables and meat to prepare a paella-style dish.
Ingredients
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4 chicken thighs or 200g of
chicken breast, chopped.
200g of paella rice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ onion or spring onions,
finely chopped
1 tbspn of olive or flaxseed oil
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4 cups of water
(Optional: add a vegetable or
chicken stock)
1 red or green pepper
Asparagus or any other vegetable
1 pinch of saffron and/or
1 teaspoon of paprika or
turmeric
3.
Add the water and spices and cook for 10-20 minutes or until
ingredients are fully cooked.
Preparation method
1.
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3.
Chill your leftover risotto or Paella overnight or add egg to bind it.
Chop large parts (meat, fish or vegetables) and grate cheese into it.
Roll the rice into balls.
4.
5.
Roll in flour.
Beat an egg and dip each rice
ball into it.
Arancini
Original to Sicily, arancini are stuffed rice balls coated with breadcrumbs.
This recipe is a great way to transform paella or risotto leftovers into a
tasty snack.
Ingredients
For 2-3 cups of risotto or paella you need:
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 ½ cup of dried breadcrumbs
6.
7.
Put the breadcrumbs on to a
plate. Coat the rice balls by rolling
them over the breadcrumbs.
Heat oil in a pan and drop the
rice balls until golden brown.
Drain well on kitchen towel
and serve hot.
Healthy suggestion: The rice balls can be
baked instead of deep frying:
Preheat the oven to 220º C. Place the
coated balls onto the baking sheet and
spray them with olive oil. Bake until golden
brown (this will take around 20 minutes).
Spicy Pasta
Potato Soup
Ideal for using cooked spaghetti leftovers, together with vegetables and/or meat.
Potato soup is perfect for using baked potato leftovers.
Ingredients:
Ingredients
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2 cups of cooked spaghetti
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of boiling water
½ onion, chopped (or 2 spring onions, sliced)
1 chopped garlic clove
Chopped vegetables (either leftover or fresh) such as peppers, carrots,
broccoli, cauliflower or brussels sprouts. You can also add any leftover
meat such as beef, chicken or chorizo.
Sweet chilli sauce
Soy sauce
Preparation method
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Heat the oil in a pan or wok and add the garlic and onion.
Add the cooked spaguetti, vegetables and meat while stirring.
Add the water and keep stirring until it evaporates.
Mix the sweet chilli sauce and the soy sauce and add to the spaghetti. Stir.
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3-4 baked potatoes, finely chopped or mashed (the skin can be included)
½ onion, chopped
¼ cup milk
1 tbsp of olive or flaxseed oil
3 cups of water
(Optional: add a vegetable or chicken stock)
Toppings: Yogurt and chives, grated cheese (parmesan of cheddar),
crispy bacon or ham.
Preparation method
1.
2.
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5.
Put the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Stir
and cook until it softens (about 2-3 minutes).
Add the mash and water and mix.
Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Blend the soup and then pour into bowls.
Add the toppings and enjoy!
Couscous Salad
Ingredients
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Salads
Salads are great with leftover fruit, pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils) and/
or meats.
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Place fresh leaves (Lettuces, rocket, spinach or cress) in a plate.
Add all the ingredients and drizzle your favourite dressing over the salad.
There are plenty of different ingredients you can use as a dressing for
salads. Some examples are:
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Olive oil and lemon or lime juice
Olive oil and Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil and honey
Vinegar and mustard
150g couscous
Chopped vegetables (You can add all sorts of vegetables, for instance,
tomatoes, cucumber, or already cooked vegetables such as broccoli,
peppers or courgettes)
(Optional: Salt and pepper)
Preparation method
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Place the couscous in a bowl or pan.
Bring water to the boil.
Pour enough water to cover the couscous and stir.
For extra flavour you can add salt, pepper, tomato puree, finely
chopped chilli or fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley, basil or mint.
Preparation method
Pasta or Rice Salad
This salad is ideal for lunchboxes, parties, barbecues and picnics.
Ingredients
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Either cooked pasta (shells, penne or spiralli) or rice
Tuna or chicken
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise
3 tbsp low-fat yoghurt
½ cucumber, chopped (10cm)
1 boiled egg
Fresh salad leaves (such as lettuce or watercress)
(Optional: Tinned or frozen sweetcorn, spring onions, red peppers)
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Fry the meat, until cooked, then keep to the side.
Combine the oil and yogurt.
Add the meat and vegetables to the pasta and mix everything together.
Add black pepper and salt if you like.
Breadcrumbs
Preparation method
Any type of bread is perfect for breadcrumbs and combinations of different
breads taste even better!
Just grate by hand or chop your dry bread and blend in a food processor.
Croutons
Notes:
• Breadcrumbs made from stale bread do not taste as good. Using dry
bread is better.
• Bread also freezes well. You can toast slices directly from the
freezer, there is no need to defrost them.
Ingredients
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2-3 bread slices or a piece of baguette.
1tblsp of olive oil
For extra flavour, sprinkle some dry herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram
or rosemary
Preparation method
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Slice bread into 1-inch slices and sprinkle the herbs. Drizzle the olive oil
on top of the croutons.
Bake at 200°C for 6 minutes or until toasted, tossing every 2-3 minutes.
Remove from the oven when ready and leave them to cool.
Preparation method
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Bruschetta
Make the most of leftover or stale bread with this fancy Italian recipe!
Ingredients
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2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove
4 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup fresh basil leaves
½ loaf bread
3.
Slice bread into 1 inch thick and place under the grill for 5 minutes or
until golden.
Rotate and grill for other 5 minutes and let the toast cool.
Rub the garlic clove over the
toasts and place the chopped
tomatoes on top.
4.
Then, drizzle with olive oil and
season with salt and pepper.
Tikka Masala
Make your own vegetable stock
This is a great meal if you have leftover meat from a roast dinner. Lamb
works great, but chicken or beef are also perfect. If you have left over roast
vegetables, or chopped onions or garlic they can all be used (basically anything can go into a tasty curry!)
Ingredients
Before you Start
First off marinate the leftover meat in some natural yoghurt, turmeric and
lime juice. Ideally leave it in the fridge overnight.
Other Ingredients
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1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of chopped Garlic
1 fresh chilli finely chopped
(optional)
1 inch piece of ginger finely
chopped
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
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1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
5 black peppercorns
Herbs: bay, thyme or parsley (dried or fresh with stalks)
Preparation method
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1.5 tbsp of Garam Masala
2 tspn of paprika
2 tspn of salt
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tin of coconut milk
Fresh coriander, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, to serve
Preparation method
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Using a large pot fry the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in vegetable or
coconut oil on a high heat until the onion softens.
Lower the heat and add in the tomato paste, Garam masala, paprika,
and salt and cook until the onion is brown.
Stir in the tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, chopped coriander and allow
to simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on the pot.
Add the meat and marinade mixture then cook for a further 5 minutes
on a low heat (and any other roast vegetables you may have left over
from the night before, use as much as you have so that nothing goes to
waste, it’s all good!).
Serve over rice.
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Peel the onion and carrot and cut in half.
Put all the ingredients into a large pan and add enough water to
cover them.
Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Allow to cool in a bowl, covered with a lid.
Add to soups or pour into ice cube trays to freeze.
The Eatwell Plate
To eat healthily you don’t have to only eat vegetables or to eat the ‘’super
foods’’ that are so fashionable nowadays.
To reduce your risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and some
cancers, you just need to have a mixed diet which includes a variety of
foods from the different food groups, in the amounts shown above. A
healthy diet includes plenty of vegetables, fruit and starchy foods (pasta,
bread, potatoes and rice), some protein-rich foods such as pulses (beans,
lentils, chickpeas, and peas) or meat (chicken, fish, duck, turkey) and milk or
dairy products, and just a bit of fried foods, sweets, cakes and sugary drinks.
It’s good to base your meals on starchy foods as they provide you
with energy and fibre which can help you feel fuller for longer. Choose
wholegrains when possible.
Note: The Eatwell Plate does not apply to children under 2 years old as
they have different nutritional requirements.
This recipe book is © 2015 Food Fruition (www.foodfruition.org)
Written by Angeles Rivera
Food Fruition is a registered Scottish charity number SC043511