Food Waste Fixation
We all come up against this. What do you do when you realize you have a bunch of food left in your crisper that is maybe a bit past it's prime. Do you throw it away? Or do you try and make the most of it? Going back to my earlier rant about food waste, world-class chef's like Massimo Bottura and Dan Barber would skin you alive for throwing it away!
Frankly, I always like the type of cooking I do when I need to clear my crisper. It’s fun figuring out how to use whatever vegetables I have leftover!
In this case, I found that the crisper had a bunch of leftover rainbow chard stems and some carrots that were a bit past their prime. Rather than kicking them to the curb, I put them to work and was really pleased with the results. Served over lentils they made a fantastic, simple lunch!
“Crisper Cleanse” Carrots and Chard
- 2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- 6-7 rainbow chard stems, chopped (reserve the leaves for use in another recipe)
- olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup French (green) lentils
- feta cheese, crumbled
First get your lentils going. In a small pot, bring a cup and a half of water to boil and add the cup of lentils. Return to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer the lentils partially covered for about 30 minutes, or until they are tender. Let the lentils cool slightly before serving (or completely if you are packing for lunch).
Meanwhile, cook your veggies. Start out by putting about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, throw in the caraway seeds and toast them for a minute or so. Now add your carrot rounds and chard stems. Salt and pepper to your own personal taste and cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes until the carrots are browned and the chard stems have softened. Set the mixture aside
To serve, make a bed of lentils and mound up the carrots and chard stems on top. Sprinkle some crumbled feta on top and you’ve got a darn pretty lunch!