Love the Whole Vegetable

Food waste is a growing problem, it's estimated that 58% of the food produced in Canada just goes to waste.

There are many ways to combat food waste, such as:

• Planning - Start with deciding on what meals you'll be having, then come up with a grocery list. This will allow you to think about what exact ingredients you'll need to buy so that you won't end up with too much extra food that may end up going to waste 
• Freezing - An easy way to make your foods last longer, freeze what you won't be using that week! 
• Storing - Properly storing food will help it last longer. For example, tomatoes don't like to be cold so don't put them in your fridge 

You can also learn to use, cook, and love the whole vegetable! Gone are the days where you only ate broccoli florets, carrot roots and radish bulbs. Hang on to the peels, stalks, stems, and leaves - you can always use it to make stock, of course, but you can do so much more. Here are some things to try!

Broccoli Stalk

While most dishes call for using the florets, you can actually eat the stalk and leaves too. 
Here are some different ways you can use and cook broccoli stalks: 

• use a spiralizer and turn into broccoli noodles 
• slice thinly and make coleslaw 
• use broccoli stalks in a stir fry 
   

Carrot Peels & Tops

Most people discard the tops of carrots but did you know that it's loaded with nutrients?
Here are some different ways you can use and cook the commonly discarded parts of carrots:

• use carrot peels to add flavour and nutrients to broths 
• bake carrot peels and enjoy as healthy chips!
• use carrot tops to make pesto or chimichurri 
   

Apple Peels

Not a fan of apple peels? Maybe you will be after trying these uses!
Here are some different ways you can use apple peels:

• make tea! Steep in boiling water along with a cinnamon stick and honey
• make your own apple cider vinegar!
• julienne apple peels then use as garnish for fresh salads
   

Radish Greens

You can use radish greens in place of other leafy greens. 
Here are some different ways to use radish greens:

• make sauteed radish greens! It's delicious and so easy!
• make pesto or other kinds of sauces
• cook it down and blend into a nutritious soup
   

Beet Greens

Did you know that beet greens actually contains 8x more nutritional content than the root? 
Here are some different ways to use beet greens: 

• beet green chips - just as healthy as kale chips!
• use beet greens like you would any leafy vegetable, try it as your next salad base! 
• saute it with some butter and garlic, for a simple and delicious dish!