I don't believe in wasting in the kitchen. So here's an idea on how to use some simple ingredients to make a delicious healthy meal with very little garbage.
Supplies you'll need:
A large crock pot
Shallow pot (I have a 3 inch wide pot which I like to use)
A blender (either immersion or otherwise)
Food you'll need:
4 zucchini
3 Green Onions (They look like a tulip bulb with green stalks)
1 beef roast (I bought a 3 lb roast for 8 bucks. Look in your grocery store for meat on a manager's special... at Smith's, it'll be with an orange sticker)
2 cloves of garlic
Seasonings
Brown a thawed roast in olive oil for about 2-3 minutes per side. Should sizzle when it hits the pan. The oil and fat from the pan should get all nice and brown as you cook it. Transfer roast to a large crock pot after its browned up. Ignore, for now.
My idea of not wasting anything goes into this thought process... why throw away the delicious kind of carmelized brown bits of fat and flavor in the bottom of the pan? Why not use it? Looking in my refrigerator, I found about half a cut of chicken gravy from last night. Most would throw it out, but to me... I just see natural flavor. Gravy is essentially thickened broth.
Add 3/4 cup of water into the pan to soften the brown bits of flavor and loosen from the pan.
Chop up 4 green zucchini. I like to slice them thin. Add them into the pot. Chop up the three green onions. Put two of the white sections of the onion into the crock pot. Place 1 onion chopped up into the pan with the zucchini.
I do cut off the little ends of the onion which are roots and toss them into my compost heap in the summer or in the garbage in winter. Minimal waste. However, the green stems are used---chop them all up. Place the equivalent of 1 in with the roast and the other two in with the zucchinis. I think the stems taste like chives!
Add enough water in with the zucchini to cover them mostly and bring to a boil.
Cover the roast and onion combination with water. Chop up the garlic and add to the crock pot.
The zucchini will be cooked within 6-8 minutes usually depending on how thing you chopped them. If you have cucumbers, they work well with the zucchini. Also, yellow squash is very good as well. I just peel the yellow squash since the skin is tough.
Allow the zucchini to cook until soft in that delicious brown flavoring. Add some salt and pepper. (I like adding garlic salt.) Blend until very smooth. An immersion blender works great. Add a cup of milk (I use skim! No need for heavy cream) and also use a dash of nutmeg. It will be kind of mint-y green.
For my roast, I add various spices and never measure them. To this one, I have added some Adobo seasoning, Jamaiiacan jerk seasoning and salt. Just before bed, I will add 6 potatoes thickly chopped into chunks and some carrots. (I leave the peel on both! Extra vitamins and less waste!) By the time I wake up in the morning, the roast will be very tender and delicious. Literally, it will fall apart as you pick at it with a fork. Delicious! Slow cooking roasts is great.
The broth from the roast can be saved for another soup, stew, and a cup or two can be turned into a gravy.
Also, the meal will cost me about 11 dollars. The roast was $8. The zucchini was $1. The Green onions were 50 cents for a bunch of 3. And the potatoes and carrots will be less than $1.
A two-course dinner for a family of 4 for $11.
Total waste: 3 of the roots of green onions.
Total time: 30 minutes
Number of mouths watering after reading this: Every single one of you.
Supplies you'll need:
A large crock pot
Shallow pot (I have a 3 inch wide pot which I like to use)
A blender (either immersion or otherwise)
Food you'll need:
4 zucchini
3 Green Onions (They look like a tulip bulb with green stalks)
1 beef roast (I bought a 3 lb roast for 8 bucks. Look in your grocery store for meat on a manager's special... at Smith's, it'll be with an orange sticker)
2 cloves of garlic
Seasonings
Brown a thawed roast in olive oil for about 2-3 minutes per side. Should sizzle when it hits the pan. The oil and fat from the pan should get all nice and brown as you cook it. Transfer roast to a large crock pot after its browned up. Ignore, for now.
My idea of not wasting anything goes into this thought process... why throw away the delicious kind of carmelized brown bits of fat and flavor in the bottom of the pan? Why not use it? Looking in my refrigerator, I found about half a cut of chicken gravy from last night. Most would throw it out, but to me... I just see natural flavor. Gravy is essentially thickened broth.
Add 3/4 cup of water into the pan to soften the brown bits of flavor and loosen from the pan.
Chop up 4 green zucchini. I like to slice them thin. Add them into the pot. Chop up the three green onions. Put two of the white sections of the onion into the crock pot. Place 1 onion chopped up into the pan with the zucchini.
I do cut off the little ends of the onion which are roots and toss them into my compost heap in the summer or in the garbage in winter. Minimal waste. However, the green stems are used---chop them all up. Place the equivalent of 1 in with the roast and the other two in with the zucchinis. I think the stems taste like chives!
Add enough water in with the zucchini to cover them mostly and bring to a boil.
Cover the roast and onion combination with water. Chop up the garlic and add to the crock pot.
The zucchini will be cooked within 6-8 minutes usually depending on how thing you chopped them. If you have cucumbers, they work well with the zucchini. Also, yellow squash is very good as well. I just peel the yellow squash since the skin is tough.
Allow the zucchini to cook until soft in that delicious brown flavoring. Add some salt and pepper. (I like adding garlic salt.) Blend until very smooth. An immersion blender works great. Add a cup of milk (I use skim! No need for heavy cream) and also use a dash of nutmeg. It will be kind of mint-y green.
For my roast, I add various spices and never measure them. To this one, I have added some Adobo seasoning, Jamaiiacan jerk seasoning and salt. Just before bed, I will add 6 potatoes thickly chopped into chunks and some carrots. (I leave the peel on both! Extra vitamins and less waste!) By the time I wake up in the morning, the roast will be very tender and delicious. Literally, it will fall apart as you pick at it with a fork. Delicious! Slow cooking roasts is great.
The broth from the roast can be saved for another soup, stew, and a cup or two can be turned into a gravy.
Also, the meal will cost me about 11 dollars. The roast was $8. The zucchini was $1. The Green onions were 50 cents for a bunch of 3. And the potatoes and carrots will be less than $1.
A two-course dinner for a family of 4 for $11.
Total waste: 3 of the roots of green onions.
Total time: 30 minutes
Number of mouths watering after reading this: Every single one of you.