"According to OzHarvest, bread, milk, salad leaves and bananas are the most commonly wasted foods. Instead of letting them go to waste, I’m going to show you how to transform them into something delish with these food-saving recipes. Gone are the days of throwing out a brown banana and pouring milk down the drain! Plus, I speak to the Executive Chef from OzHarvest, Travis, to find out some of his top tips to avoid food waste."
- Tamara
Travis' top tip: milk
"If your milk is nearing its end date, freeze it into iceblocks for the kids. To make, simply blend any fruit of your choice with the milk and a splash of vanilla. Pour into iceblock moulds, freeze and enjoy."
01
Vegetable mac and cheese
If you’ve made it to the end of the week with an abundance of leftover veggies in the crisper, this recipe is for you. Mac and cheese is great for family dinners and this one is packed with veggies – we’ve used a mixture of carrot, sweet potato and pumpkin, but you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.
02
Leftover salad greens pesto
It can sometimes be a struggle to get through a packet of salad leaves. Instead of letting them go limp, blitz leftover salad leaves, such as baby rocket or spinach with herb stems to create a creamy pesto. Toss it through pasta, use as a base sauce for pizza, or dollop on grilled salmon fillets or lamb cutlets.
03
Vegan tahini and banana peel bread
This banana bread recipe is like no other as it uses whole bananas, peel and all! That’s right, instead of throwing away the banana skins, blitz and add them to the batter. No one will be the wiser, and you can rest easy knowing you saved your leftover whole bananas from the bin.
Travis’ top tip: bananas
"When black spots appear on the banana skin, simply peel, chop and freeze it, then later add it to smoothies – it gives an incredibly creamy texture."
04
Breadcrumb chocolate chip cookies
Breadcrumbs aren’t just for chicken schnitzel – they can be used to make cookies. That’s right, simply blend leftover bread to make fine crumbs and add to cookie dough. The breadcrumbs give these cookies a delicious crunch. Try this food-saving hack for yourself.
Travis’ top tip: bread
“Transform day-old bread into crunchy and flavoursome crumbs to scatter over pastas and salads. To do this, process day-old bread into crumbs, then fry in extra virgin olive oil with garlic, thyme and lemon zest until crispy. Add dried chilli flakes or fennel seeds for extra spice”