Scrappy Cooking, Recipes to Reduce Food Waste

Serves: 2 people 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Cooking Time: 15 minutes 

• Potato peelings 
• ½ tsp of salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, curry powder and chilli flakes 
• Oil for Drizzling 

1. Preheat your oven or air fryer to 200°C. 
2. Take your potato peelings and press the moisture out of them. 
3. In a bowl, make your spice blend. Add ½ tsp of salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, curry powder and chilli flakes. Mix thoroughly.  
4. Add the potato peelings to a bowl and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle the seasonings until they are covered. 
5. If you are using an oven or the air fryer spread your potato peelings out so that they are not overlapping. Put the air fryer tray or baking tray into the oven or air fryer for 15 mins or until crispy.  

These can be made with any vegetable peelings or leftover vegetables. This recipe works best with root vegetables such as beetroot, sweet potato, or carrots. Also, if you’re not into this spicy blend, why not try with garlic and rosemary, or simply salted? 

Vegetable Peelings Sumptuous Stock 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Cooking Time: 3 hours  

• Assorted vegetables and peelings, approximately 1-2 kilograms 
• 2 Sprigs of rosemary 
• 2 Sprigs of thyme 
• 2 Sprigs of parsley 
• 2 Bay leaves 
• 2 tsp of salt 
• 2 tsp of whole black peppercorns  

1. Clean all vegetables and peelings of any dirt.  
2. In a large pan place all the vegetables, herbs and seasonings into the pan.  
3. Cover the vegetables with water, and stop filling the pan when the water covers the vegetables by around 7cm.  
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 3 hours 

Take this stock and use it to enrich the flavour of your favourite dishes – ramen, soups, pho, gravy, pasta sauces and more. 

Crispy Crunchy Breadcrumbs 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Cooking Time: 15 minutes  

1. Blitz the cubes of stale bread in a food processor or hand grate them until they resemble breadcrumbs.  
2. In a bowl drizzle,  a small amount of oil. 
3. Spread the breadcrumbs on a tray and bake for 15 minutes. Give the breadcrumbs a shake at every 5-minute interval. 
4. Remove from the oven when golden brown, dry and crispy.  

To pack a real punch of flavour, you could add herbs and spices before placing them into the oven. You could use these breadcrumbs for breading homemade nuggets or to top an unctuous mac and cheese.  

Pleasant Panzanella Salad 

Serves: 2 people   

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cooking Time: 15 minutes 

The Croutons 

• Stale bread 
• Drizzle of oil 
• ½ tsp dried oregano 
• Salt to taste 

The Salad 

• 150 grams of tomatoes 
• 1 cucumber 
• 1 red pepper and yellow pepper 
• ½  red onion 
• A handful of fresh basil leaves 

The Dressing

• 1 clove garlic,  
• 3 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard 
• Salt to taste 
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C 
2. Cube the stale bread into bitesize pieces. Add to a bowl with a drizzle of oil, herbs and salt.  
3. Place on a tray and cook for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. 
4. Mince the garlic into a bowl. 
5. Then, add oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.  
6. Now, chop all the vegetables and herbs mentioned in the ‘salad’ ingredient list.  
7. Remove the croutons from the oven. 
8. Place the salad and croutons in a bowl. Then, drizzle the salad dressing over the top.   

Scrumptious Herby Cubes 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 0 minutes 

• Chopped Fresh Herbs 
• Oil 

1. Take the herbs that are about to expire.  
2. Chop the herbs into small pieces and place them in an ice cube tray.  
3. Top each section with oil until the compartments are 2/3rd full.  
4. Simply freeze for use later.  

These herbs can be used at a later date in soups, stocks, and sauces.