Leftovers? Turn Them Into Other Tasty Meals
We hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend! And, that it brought you joy, love, and good food. But, what happens to all these yummy morsels once Boxing Day rolls around? Sure, you could just eat the same meal again and again. However, this can get quite boring, and even make your resent food you once enjoyed. Instead, why not repurpose these leftovers into something new! In today’s blog, we teach you how to do just that. But first, let’s look at the importance of reducing our food waste.
What is Food Waste?
Food waste is food that is not eaten. The causes occur throughout the food systems during:
- production
- processing
- distribution
- retail and food service sales
- consumption
Ultimately, it is a major part of the impact of agriculture on climate change and other environmental issues. Additionally, if not handled properly (i.e. through compositing) this will also have negative consequences. Thus, the UN’s Sustainable Develop Target 12.13 seeks to halve global food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030.
So, how can we do our part to help? By eating our leftovers, of course!
What are Leftovers?
Leftovers are surplus food remaining unconsumed at the end of the meal. Often, post-eating, they are stored with the intention of eating later. There are three ways of consuming them:
- directly from the fridge
- reheat them
- or, use them as ingredients to make a new dish
The latter of which is what concerns us in this blog.
For years, world cuisine has repurposed leftovers. Especially, during the time before the existence of refrigerators and airtight containers. Want to try something new? Keep reading to get some of our favourite recipes.
Recipes Using Holiday Leftovers
Have specific kinds of leftovers? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Note, some of these meals require using fresh ingredients.
- Vegetable Scraps & Bones – make a delicious nutritious broth! The former, requires a little bit of foresight in the preparation stage. Simply, just keep hold on to all onion skins, peelings, and other scraps. Latter, combined with any turkey bones you may have, boil these ingredients to release their flavours. Eat this how it is, or combine with other recipes!
- Brussels, Greens, & Ham – transform into a seriously cheesy bake. Combine with leek, garlic, lemon zest and some seasoning. Then, top with a béchamel sauce. Bake until golden and bubbling. Finish with a crunchy coating of crush potato chips and mixed roast nuts.
- Another Sprout Idea – pesto. For this, you will need a food processor. Then, all you have to do is combine sprouts, garlic, basil, parmesan, pine nuts, and lemon juice. Once this forms a nice paste, all normal and extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. This sauce will last about 2-3 days in the fridge.
- Combine (Pretty Much) All The Leftovers – in a simple bake. Place your leftover roast veg (such as potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.) on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning before roasting in oven until heated through and crispy. Dot brie over the veg and return the tray to the oven until melted. Serve with a drizzle of cranberry sauce and peanuts. You could even add the sprouts pesto!
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