Surplus Snacks

Think before you consider throwing away the edible food in your fridge – then get cooking with these leftover recipes.

SQUASH PANCAKES

Ingredients

◆ 250 g leftover roasted squash

◆ 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

◆ 1 cup milk

◆ 150 g flour

◆ 1 large egg

◆ 1 sprig rosemary

◆ 1 tsp nutmeg

◆ Maple syrup to top

1. Peel skins off of the squash. Mash into a large bowl with a fork.

2. Remove rosemary from sprig and mix into the squash. Whisk in remaining ingredients until blended.

3. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Using a ladle, add the mixture into pan. Cook 2 min on each side until golden and the edges are crisp. Stack on a plate and keep warm at 150 F low heat in the oven until ready to eat.

4. Serve with a drizzle of maple syrup.

TOP TIP

Food scraps always go in your Green Bin. If you live in an apartment or condo building try freezing your food scraps and then disposing of them in your building's organic waste disposal. This will help eliminate any odours.

BRUISED-CHETTA

Ingredients

◆ 2 cups overripe or bruised tomatoes, chopped

◆ 1/2 cup red onion, diced

◆ 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped

◆ 2 tsp fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped

◆ 1 clove garlic, minced finely

◆ 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

◆ 1 Tbsp lime juice

◆ 1/4 tsp ground cumin

◆ 1/4 tsp kosher salt

◆ 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Stir together everything in a bowl.

2. For optimal flavour, leave in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

3. Slice your stale baguette and toast in the oven. Top it with the tomato mixture, and garnish with cilantro.

BERRY FREEZER JAM

Ingredients

◆ 3 cups crushed berries

◆ 5 ½ cups sugar

◆ 2 oz pectin crystals

◆ 3/4 cup water

1. Add sugar to crushed berries and mix thoroughly.

2. Let stand 10 - 15 minutes.

3. In a small saucepan combine pectin crystals and water. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 1 minute.

4. Combine with fruit mixture and stir for at least 3 minutes.

5. Ladle into containers and cover tightly with lids.

6. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours.

7. Store in freezer. (Freezer jam is not shelf-stable, for long-term storage, it must go in the freezer. Keeps for two weeks in the refrigerator or 1 year in the freezer.)

8. Notes: Stone fruit, cherries and blueberries also work well, though you may need to adjust the amount of sugar called for. Use a pectin that works with no-cook freezer jam and follow the specific instructions.

Every single day, Canadians throw out:

◆ 450,000 eggs

◆ 550,000 bananas

◆ 1,000,000 cups of milk

◆ 2,400,000 potatoes

◆ 750,000 loaves of bread

In Toronto homes alone, we create almost 100,000 tonnes of food waste per year. This equates to about 200 kg of food waste per household. Here's how you can make big difference:

Plan your shopping to buy just what you and your household are likely to eat.

Check best before dates on items in the fridge and see what needs to be used up before making a meal.

Have the fundamentals – grains, spices and "hero" sauces – on hand so you can bring life to old meals

Think double duty; if you have too much rice or too many wraps, think about how to reuse them that week.

Don’t throw coffee grounds out – use them for fertilizer if you have a garden.