5 delicious recipes made with food waste you should try

Roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year- approximately 1.3 billion tons, gets wasted. Not just this, nearly half of all fruits and vegetables produced globally are wasted each year. We unconsciously throw away perfectly edible and nutritious parts of foods. Therefore, we need to try to be conscious and not add to this already hefty food waste. To chip into this initiative, we have curated some delicious recipes made with food waste.

Health Shots got in touch with two dieticians, Kajal Wattamwar and Bushra Qureshi, Co-founder of Healthy Steady Go, who shared some wonderful ways to use the edible and nutritious vegetable waste.

Listed below are 5 lip-smacking recipes made with food waste:

1. Broccoli Stem Chips

Most of us throw away the broccoli stem. This stem actually contains much of the same nutrients as the broccoli florets: Vitamin A,C, fiber, potassium and folate.

Recipe:

1. Chop broccoli stem thinly.
2. Coat it with 1-2 tsp olive oil, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder and black pepper.
3. Mix this well and make sure all pieces are coated well.
4. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 8-12 minutes, or you could also air fry them.

They are spicy, crispy and make a perfect alternative to the unhealthy fried snacks!

2. Watermelon Rind Sabji

Watermelon rind is edible too! Yes, you heard the right! It can be used in so many recipes, but today let’s make a very easy one.

Recipe:

1. Clean and chop watermelon rind into small dice.
2. In a pan, add oil, raie, jeera, hing and let it splatter.
3. Add diced watermelon rind pieces and cover and let it cook.
4. Once it softens, add your spices (turmeric, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder)
5. You could also add grated coconut here like a poriyal.
6. Mix everything well and ready!

Watermelon’s goodness exceeds to its rind. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Mango Seed Mukhwas

Mango seeds, which are often discarded after consumption of the fleshy part, are actually loaded with abundant beneficial nutrients. The seeds are effective in fighting acidity and also improve digestion.

Recipe:

1. You have to dry the mango seeds at least 10-15 days.
2. Never break the seed flat, always keep it standing while breaking so that you get full seeds from inside.
3. Chop the seed into thin slices.
4. In a pan, add ½ tsp ghee and sliced mango seed.
5. Roast on medium flame until crispy.
6. Lastly add pink salt and mix.
   

   4. Palak Stem Chutney

As tasty as they are, spinach stems are also good for your health. They’re packed with vitamin A, B6, C, Calcium, Iron and Magnesium.

Recipe:

1. Wash and chop palak stems.
2. In a pan, add oil, jeera, garlic cloves and palak stems.
3. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
4. Transfer this to the blender, add curd, salt and blend well.
5. Enjoy with your meals as the perfect side dish.

This palak chutney will go well with all the other recipes made with food waste. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

5. Potato Skin Chips

These chips are super-crispy and flavourful. Plus, they are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan!

Recipe:

1. Wash potato skins very very well.
2. Soak the peels in water for 20 minutes and pat dry them well.
3. Coat them with olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Bake them at 200 degree Celsius for 15-18 minutes or until crispy.
5. You can also air fry them.