Refresh and Repurpose…Three Ways to Use Leftovers and Reduce Food Waste

In honor of Earth Day, and as a member of the Recipe ReDux team, I was challenged to show how I reduce food waste. That’s easy because I love leftovers and I rarely throw anything away. Leftovers extend the efforts of my cooking and they cut down on food waste. Most weeks, I’m cooking three or four new meals and using leftovers to get through the rest of the week. I love to challenge myself on how creative I can get, using anything I have on hand to recreate a breakfast, lunch or dinner. My family assumes I’m cooking a new dish because I’m a master at disguising the ingredients. In addition to saving time, money and preventing waste, incorporating leftovers into your meals is a much healthier alternative to eating out. When you are in control of what you eat, you’ll eat less saturated fat, less sodium and fewer calories. Cook once, eat two or three times is my motto.

Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry with Green Beans and Tofu

I had a leftover head of cauliflower and some leftover tofu and green beans from the Honey-Sesame Tofu and Green Bean post . Combining them created a delicious stir fry and for those cutting back on carbs, you skip the rice.

Shred cauliflower with box grater.

Drain cauliflower on paper towel.

Chop leftover sesame tofu and green beans.

Saute cauliflower. Use frozen cauliflower rice medley if you don’t have fresh cauliflower.

Add tofu and beans.

. A simple, healthy way to use leftover veggies. You could sub any leftover protein and vegetable. Season with reduced sodium Tamari.

Herbed-Egg Scramble with Whole Grain Toast

As the week reaches Friday, and I don’t feel like going out to eat or ordering in, eggs are my “go to” for a quick, simple meal. This week I had several herbs leftover so I combined them with the eggs and few additional toppings for a deliciously light, end of the week meal.

Herbs leftover from the week.

Chopped basil, dill, parsley and tarragon.

Toppings from the fridge. Capers, Kalamata olives, pesto and scallions.

Saute scallions. Add eggs.

Add chopped herbs.

Stir and cook for a few minutes.

Top with capers, olives, pesto and serve with toasted whole grain bread and glass of crisp white wine.

Chicken Salad with Grapes, Walnuts and a Creamy Yogurt Dressing

One cooked chicken breast remained in the fridge from a previous meal. Chopping it with some leftover veggies, herbs and grapes makes for a quick and easy lunch. To lighten-up the creamy dressing, I mix about 2 tablespoons of plain, fat-free Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise.