Why You Should Get Used to Emptying Your Fridge

By
Emily H
-

More often than none, we go to the grocery store when we still have a pretty packed fridge. Although it may not look full to us, there is probably more in there than you think. In the US alone, each person on average throws away 1 pound of food per day, which means that we aren’t totally utilizing the food we have in our refrigerators and pantries. To combat this, try completely emptying your food spaces before going shopping.

Get Creative

Before you go to the store, look at your fridge and pantry and see what items you have to work with. Think about the fresh produce you have and see if any of them go together in a certain dish or cuisine. If you have trouble getting creative, type in the foods you have into the internet and something will definitely pop up.

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Whole wheat noodles in coconut milk-peanut sauce by @yummyyatra ❤️ . Loaded with vegetables, tossed in a homemade Indonesian sauce. For the peanut sauce 1 1⁄2 cups unsalted skinned peanuts 5tbsp. Coconut sugar 1 1⁄2 tsp. dried sriracha 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 serrano chili, stemmed and chopped finely 3⁄4 cup coconut milk 1 tbsp. cider vinegar Salt, to taste . Heat peanuts in a 12″ skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring, until toasted, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor, let cool Process the peanuts until finely ground. Add sugar, garlic, and chile, process until it is a finely processed. Transfer this paste to skillet, stir in the coconut milk, sriracha Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until oil begins to separate from paste, 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt to taste, and about 1/2- 3⁄4 cup water; simmer until it is of a soupy consistency, about 3 minutes. cool, set aside Noodles 1 lb linguine Cook noodles per package instructions, drain (reserve about a cup of the water) set the noodles aside Veggies prep Veggies (carrots, peppers, cabbage, green onions, broccoli) 2 tbsp olive Salt, to taste 2 cloves of garlic, minced Other ingredients (to be used in the end) Fresh cilantro Juice of 1 lime In a wide skillet, add olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Add all the veggies, sprinkle some salt 2-3 tbsp water and cover and cook for 5-7 minutes on medium heat, stirring every 2 minutes in between). The veggies should be done but still have a crunch to them Once the veggies are done, transfer to a plate, set aside . To assemble the noodles Add cooked noodles to the veggies in the skillet, add the peanut sauce, a few spoons at a time, toss well. You may add more sauce if you like. If it appears too thick and creamy, add the reserved pasta/noodles water. Top with chopped cilantro, lime juice. Serve hot. #bestofvegan

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Freeze

If you see that some vegetable or fruit is starting to go bad, freeze it! You can use it later to make infusions, stocks, and more, and will allow you to use that item in a new and innovative way.

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Compost

Composting food is the best way to reduce waste because it gets turned it soil. If you can’t start a compost yourself, check out if there are any community gardens or neighbors that can use your compost.