WMC
sustainable ~ healthy ~ efficiency ~ fun
cook book
A different year from the rest with everything shifting to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grenfell Waste Management Committee (GWMC) worked to remain vigilant in our goals to educate and encourage sustainable living through waste reduction and diversion. We're proud to share this cookbook that is a result from one of our online Sustainability Series: the GWMC Cook-Off! The cook-off was a great way for the participants to show off their cooking skills while also promoting the use of sustainable ingredients and the many ways to turn them into something delicious! We had an exciting contest with our "celebrity" judge, Kathleen Mather, a registered dietician (RD), reviewing the submitted recipes. She judged these recipes based on the following categories: Environmentally Friendly: are the ingredients locally sourced and sustainable? low carbon footprint? minimal plastic packaging? etc.
Healthy: does the dish have lots of healthy nutrients? is it well-balanced? Efficiency: how long does the dish take? does it use common ingredients you could find locally? are the ingredients affordable? Originality: did they have fun with it! We had so many great entries that we just had to share these recipes with a few comments and suggestions from our RD! We hope you enjoy these amazing recipes and it encourages you to think about what ingredients you are using in your everyday meals and how to choose more sustainable options! If you make any of these recipes, let us know by tagging us on our social media (click icons below).
Fried Conche Cod
Conche cod fried in backyard garlic, roasted Humber Village Brussel sprouts with pecans, bacon and dried cherries. We had Deer Lake concord grape juice and rescued Humber Valley apple galette Submitted by: Tina Newbury
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Local cod Backyard Garlic Brussel sprouts Pecans Bacon Dried cherries Local grapes Apples
9 10 11 12 13 14
Galette crust Butter Walnuts Sugar Lemon juice Butter puff pastry WINNER
<60 mins | Adjustable servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1
Sauté pressed garlic in butter, place cod fillets in pan, season with salt and pepper. Flip once.
2
Boil Brussel sprouts for 10 min, slice in half. Roast pecans. Fry bacon straps. Toss these together with dried cherries.
3
Peel, core and slice apples. Drizzle fresh lemon juice over apples. Toss with sugar and cinnamon. Wrap in butter puff pastry. Cook at 350°F in oven until pastry is lightly brown.
4
For grape juice: Heat grapes in pot, squishing regularly. Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain liquid.
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD
"The dedication to local products here is impressive! This meal uses a nice variety of whole foods – cod is a good source of lean protein, a generous helping of green vegetables topped with some crunchy pecans is an excellent side and the local apples make for a quick and easy dessert. The main course, with some rice on the side and maybe another vegetable (some local carrots?) would make a great quick and balanced meal for a busy student! The homemade grape juice and dessert kick things up a notch if you have some extra time."
Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Tagine Made using brown rice and veggies entirely from Riverbrook Farms! Delicious and easy. Full recipe credit here
Submitted by: Darrian Washinger
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Butternut squash Sweet potatoes Chickpeas Brown rice Vegetable broth Cumin Coriander Garlic powder
1/2 c. 2 1 can 1 can 1 cup 2 tsp. 2 tsp. 2 tsp.
9 10 11 12 13
Ground ginger 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon 1 tsp. Red pepper flakes 1 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Lemon juice 2 tbsp.
~35 mins | 4-6 Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2 3 4
Prepare 1 cup of brown rice in rice cooker. Peel & chop butternut squash and sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Dice onions. Put oil in the bottom of a soup pot and cook onions and sweet potatoes in the oil for 3-5 mins on medium-high heat. Add butternut squash, 1/4c. vegetable broth & all the spices. Cook for 5 mins.
5
Add remaining vegetable broth, chickpeas, & lemon juice before cooking for 5-8 mins or until butternut squash is softened.
6
Serve on top of brown rice
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD "One to two pot meals like this are perfect for students who may have limited pots or kitchen space. This dish uses plant protein which is a great, environment and budget friendly option (if you have extra time and want to reduce the cost further, cook chickpeas from dried)! While this recipe takes a bit longer, most of the time is cooking time, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an excellent meal to prep while doing some work or studying. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to bump this meal up with some extra veggies (extra veggies are always good!) try a small side salad of local greens and veggies (tomatoes, chopped up carrot, cucumber) when they are in season."
Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner, anyone?! A quick meal of home fries made from potatoes and onions from Riverbrook Farms, poached Newfoundland eggs on homemade sourdough English muffins, pork breakfast sausage from D&D Farm in Cormack, and a carrot (from my garden) and apple (from a tree down the street) to round it out! Yum! Submitted by: Jenna McDermott
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Eggs Potatoes Onions Carrots Apples Sausage Links
2 1-2 1 1 1 2
Sourdough English Muffins 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
9 10 11 12
Margarine Garlic Powder Paprika Salt & Pepper
1 tbsp. 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp. to taste
~30 mins | 1-2 Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2 3
4 5 6
Cut the potatoes into 1/2" cubes, put in a large saucepan with cold water, add salt, and parboil (boil & cook for 2 mins). Dice the onions and cook in olive oil (about 5 mins). Set aside. After potatoes are tender, drain, & let cool. Add the butter into the skillet and add the potatoes once hot. Spread into a single layer & cook, without stirring, 8-10 mins. Add cooked onions & spices and stir. Poach the eggs & toast the English muffins. Cook the sausages in a pan until they reach the proper internal temperature. Serve with a few vegetables & fruits (that are in season) of your choice .
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD "What a great meal featuring the variety of local foods that are available! This is nicely balanced with protein from the eggs and pork sausage (dietitian says choose the eggs more often than the sausage but sausage is a fun special meal treat!), homemade English muffins (good job with the homemade bread! I bet you could make a batch of these and freeze them for quick meals when things get busy), and veggies on the side. If you have extra time to bump up the veggies, try sautéing some things you have on hand (I’m thinking onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and throw in my favourite sun dried tomatoes) to add to the potatoes. Snacking on raw veggies is great when you’re short on time and locally grown vegetables are delicious!"
Zucchini Tacos
Onion, garlic, zucchini, corn, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Just sauté everything in that order. The tortillas are handmade with Maseca (hence the lack of shape). Topped off with green salsa (tomatillos, garlic, jalapeños, and salt). Submitted by: Mayra Sanchez
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Zucchini Garlic Onion Corn Cilantro Vegetable Oil
Salt & pepper
3 1 clove 1/4 large 1 c. 1/5 c. 1 tsp. to taste
Salsa: 8 9 10 11
Tomatillos 1 lb. Garlic 1 clove Salt to taste Jalapeño peppers to taste Homemade Tortillas: 12 Flour 1.5 c. 13 Maseca Corn Flour 1.5 c.
~30 mins | 2-3 Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2
Dice zucchini & garlic.
3
Add zucchini, corn, chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper and let it cook.
4
For the salsa, boil tomatillos/tomatoes and peppers for 5 minutes with enough water to cover them. Then add tomatillos/ tomatoes in the blender with one fresh garlic clove and salt to taste.
5
Serve on tortillas (bonus page at the back of the cookbook for instructions on how to make your own homemade tortillas)!
Add oil to pan and add the onions when it’s hot. After the onions caramelize, add garlic and cook for about a minute. Don’t let the garlic get too brown.
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD
"Love this! Trying out making items, like tortillas, that you might normally buy is a great way to get more comfortable in the kitchen and allows you to decide what goes into what you’re eating. There is a nice variety of vegetables here with the zucchini, corn, tomatillos and the garlic and onion for flavour! For a fully balanced meal, you could try adding in some black beans for plant based protein and maybe a bit of cheese on top! This would be a great recipe to make in the late summer and fall when those vegetables can probably be found locally grown!"
Spaghettini Alfredo Such a quick and easy meal that the whole family will want more! Submitted by: Mary Feltham
INGREDIENTS 1
Spaghettini/Spaghetti
2 Alfredo sauce 3 Green Pepper 4 Orange Pepper
5 Mushrooms 6 Spinach 7 Triple Cheese (shredded)
~10 mins | 3+ Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1
Bring the water to a boil and put in your pasta until cooked.
2
While waiting for pasta to cook, chop all the veggies and put all of them (except spinach) in a pan with the alfredo sauce on a low-mid heat burner.
3
When the pasta is cooked and contents of the pan are warm, take desired amount of noodles onto a plate and add desired amount of sauce. ALTERNATIVELY, mix the sauce in with the pasta to have it completely coated.
4
Top with shredded spinach and cheese.
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD
"Pasta is a fantastic option when you’re busy! Homemade sauces can be made ahead of time and frozen for busy times or you can use store bought options if you’re all out! Choose whole wheat pasta (or half and half if you aren’t quite sold on the texture) for a bit of extra fibre. If you’re feeling adventurous, try some of the new pastas made with beans and lentils, which will add extra fibre and protein! You might find these types of pasta keep you feeling full longer. I like that this recipe is very adaptable for whatever local vegetables you might have on hand and is very quick to make!"
Beet Burger w. Veggies Beet burger on a homemade sourdough bun and roasted local vegetables (see next recipe for vegetables) Submitted by: Katherine Flores
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5
Beets Walnuts Rolled oats Chickpea flour
Ground flax seed
2 1/2 c. 1 c. 1/4 c. 1/4 c.
6 7 8 9
Garlic Brown Lentils Onion Powder Salt
2 cloves 2 c. 1 tbsp. to taste
HONOURABLE MENTION
~45 mins | 6-8 Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6
Preheat oven to 375F. Cook lentils on medium heat for 30 min or until tender. Grate the beets using a food processor or handheld grater. Set aside. Clean out the processor & use S-blade attachment (Can be done by hand with a fork). Add the walnuts, oats, flax, chickpea flour, garlic, all dry spices, and salt. Process until a slightly coarse flour forms. Add the shredded beets, and lentils to the food processor and blend until combined. Scoop out the burger “batter” to form patties; I used a ½ cup measure to make 6 large patties. Use slightly damp hands to flatten and shape the burgers, then place on a baking tray. Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes, then flip the burgers and bake in the top rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are crispy and slightly browned. Serve on homemade or store bought buns. We had ours with some foraged mushrooms, mayo, honey mustard and spinach.
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD
"This is a beautiful looking burger! I love all the colours! Always a fan of the homemade bread – so delicious. Lentils are a fantastic source of protein that is very budget friendly. If you’re short on time, you can use canned lentils too. Homemade patties are a good make ahead option that can be frozen as well. It’s nice to have things in the freezer you can reach for when you don’t feel like cooking or are really busy. In the summer or for a faster option, a side salad with the balsamic vinegar would be great here instead of the roasted vegetables."
Roasted Local Veggies Roasted local vegetables all from farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s markets and maple syrup from my own backyard! Submitted by: Jackie Bauman
INGREDIENTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Kale Rainbow carrots Sweet potato Turmeric Black pepper Coriander Cumin
1 bunch 4 1 2 tsp. 1 tsp. 1 tsp. 1 tsp.
8 9 10 11
Maple Syrup Canola Oil Parsley Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. 2 tbsp.
~30 mins | 5 Servings
INSTRUCTIONS 1 2
Preheat oven to 400F.
3
Spread the vegetables on a large baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
4
Rotate vegetables in the oven with a spatula and add chopped kale to the pan.
5
Continue roasting vegetables and the kale for 10 minutes (until the kale reaches the desired crispiness).
6
Serve as a side dish. Optional: drizzle balsamic vinegar on top along with a couple of parsley sprigs.
Chop root vegetables into cubes and place in a large bowl to be evenly tossed in oil, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, black pepper, turmeric.
COMMENTS FROM OUR RD "The roasted vegetables are great on the side here (I love roasted vegetables!) and the variety is great with the combination of leafy greens and root vegetables. Spices are a tasty way to flavour vegetables and a glaze on roasted vegetables might just change your mind about veggies you thought you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like!"
Chef's best advice: "Invite a Mexian friend to help you with the tortillas ;)"
INSTRUCTIONS 1
Follow instructions on Maseca corn flour packaging for desired texture of dough (masa).
2
Make small balls using your hands and place on reusable plastic bag (large freezer bag will work). Put another plastic bag on top and flatten with roller to desired thinness. They should be as thin or thinner than store bought flour tortillas.
3
Remove top plastic off the tortilla. Put your hand under the bag holding the tortilla and pick it up. Carefully flip it on your free hand to catch the tortilla, remove bottom bag (now on top) and carefully place tortilla on pre-heated non-stick pan (medium high heat). The masa will start changing colour slowly and it will take 1-2 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of the tortilla.