Groceries are expensive and there is no way we can muster up the courage to waste even a single scrap. Lucky for us, there are numerous ways to utilise the leftovers rather than just dumping them into a bin. It is never too late to avoid any sort of food waste by making the most of what you have on hand. Here are some quick fix ways of turning you leftover food into delectable delicacies.
Here are 5 creative ways to utilize food scraps:
1. Extra Bread
Not being able to use the entire pack of bread is our biggest nightmare, especially if you are living alone. Turns out, the solution is not that difficult at all. You can easily use extra bread to make croutons for your salads and soups. You can also turn the bread into breadcrumbs and use it for frying. Furthermore, you can also made a bread crumbs upma for your morning breakfast.
2. Leftover Roti
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Did you make a lot more rotis than needed ? Rotis are so useful that you can make anything out of them. Use them to make a hearty sabzi, a delicious chila or even laddoos for that matter. Believe it or not, they can be used to make noodles and even be used in soups.
3. Rice
Just add any of your favourite veggies and spices with the leftover rice and fry it for 5-10 minutes on medium flame. You have a fully transformed rice dish that does not even need a curry or side accompaniment. To add a little more taste, you can also add beaten eggs
in the rice.
4. Kheema
Kheema is coming straight out of the refrigerator hence be sure to heat it up in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes before loading nachos so you are not melting cheese on top of cold meat. Prepare an oven-safe casserole dish with tortilla chips topped with Kheema, black beans, and grated cheese of your choice. Boil in a preheated oven until the cheese melts. Top it with diced fresh tomatoes, onions and cilantro along with a dollop of sour cream and/or guacamole for a serious plate of masala-fried nachos that the whole family will enjoy.
The same ingredients can be used in a soft tortilla pressed in a panini grill for a kheema quesadilla or simply pile up kheema, lettuce, and garnishes in a hard taco shell for a spin on taco night. Alternatively, stuff the kheema in mashed potatoes and dip it in rusk powder. Later fry it to make some yummy kheema patties.
5. Leftover Vegetables
You can go from eating your vegetables to simply drinking them the next day. Take any leftover roasted, grilled or boiled vegetables of the previous day and puree them into a blender before adding some water to make a delicious and healthy soup.
6. Fruit Peel
Fruit rinds collect faster than light but that is a problem we can easily fix. You can use the skin of your avocado as a moisturiser, just rub the peel on your face and rinse after some time. For lemon rinds, apart from using the zest as a natural flavouring in desserts, you can even rub it along sinks and faucets to keep your kitchen and bathrooms squeaky clean with a citrusy scent. Surprisingly, watermelon rinds can even be pickled and they taste delicious.
One interesting use of chickpea brine, i.e. the liquid you get while draining the chickpeas is actually an excellent replacement for egg in dishes such as meringues and vegan whipped cream. This just goes on to show that everything in our kitchen can be utilised in one way or the other. With just a few changes here and there, a much more sustainable and zero-waste life is very much possible.
Enjoy !!
