PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking (a book of zero waste recipes)
PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking is a wonderful book of 150 plant-based recipes, which lets you make use of food scraps that would otherwise have gone to waste. Instead of finding a long list of complicated recipes, you simply look up what you’ve got (say cabbage), then find recipes to use it up!
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets.
This book is beautifully designed, with an easy-to-read font and pictorial instructions for new cooks. You’ll learn how to transform radish tops into pesto, broccoli stems into summer rolls, and wilting greens into smoothie cubes.
The healthy recipes include:
- Squash Pasta
- Skillet Lasagne
- One Pan Orzo Casserole
- Vodka Penne with Broccoli
- Roasted Cauliflower with Red Pepper Sauce
- Chickpea Pot Pie
- We-Got-The-Beet Crisps
- Cornmeal Biscuits
- Bang Bang Broccoli-cious Steaks
Examples of Using Up Food Waste
Stale Bread can be used to make:
- Last Week’s Loaf Breakfast Casserole
- Caramelised French Onion Soup
- Herbed Bread Crumbs
Wilted greens can be used to make:
- Juicer-free Green Juice
- Green Goddess Soup
- Leeky Tuscan Minestrone
- Green with Envy Spaghetti
- Scrappy Pesto
Leftover cauliflower can be used to make:
- Whatever Sheet-Pan Soup
- Second-Chance Fried Rice
- Veggie Masala Burgers
Leftover carrots can be used to make:
- Raid the Fridge Noodle Soup
- Scrappy Broth
- Sunday Sauce
- Brilliant Bouillon Powder
Leftover bell peppers can be used to make:
- Eggless Omelette
- Smoky Corn Cob Chowder
- Loaded Tortilla Bowls
- Any Vegetable Curry
- PlantYou Pizza Party
Leftover bananas can be used to make
- Brown Banana Muffins
- Homemade Banana Bread
From oat pulp blondies to fiesta fries (leftover spuds!), this is a really upbeat and unique book, to make use of the food that is thrown away in its million, when it could feed hungry people, including you!
Lean on staple recipes that allow you to ‘clean out the fridge. With great base recipes (stews, curries, stir-fries), you can interchange the vegetables on hand each week, to reduce waste.
By using up leftovers, you’ll notice a decrease in your grocery bill. And you’ll feel great, knowing you’re making healthier choices, and contributing to a more sustainable planet. Carleigh
About the Author
Carleigh Bodrug is a self-taught plant-based cook, known for her low-waste vegan recipes. She is well-known in Canada where she lives, and runs a highly successful blog PlantYou, along with digital meal planner, to help people cook and eat more plants, in an easy and affordable manner.
She is passionate about helping others to good health, having gone plant-based herself to develop recipes to help her father, who was recovering from colon cancer (often linked to eating meat).
