A step towards Kitchen Sustainability

By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op

When I hear Zero Waste

So flashy, all or nothing, one of those bossy change maker fad ideas. ZERO Waste is daunting, and unsustainable in its absoluteness, and not welcoming with an all-or-nothing approach to conservation. Must everything be a competition? Instead of inspiring, it’s immobilizing. 
My path towards kitchen sustainability, crippled with setbacks, is humbling. I readily admit my bad habits frequently resurface and there are plenty of times when convenience wins out over conscience.

Victories

I improve most when I integrate changes into the systems I already have and can effortlessly repeat them. Currently, I’m going in the right direction with — saving kitchen scraps for my son’s chickens instead of putting them into the garbage. Recycling and worm composting. Buying in bulk, shopping the perimeter of the grocery which saves money, packaging and is healthier. Taking my shopping bags to the store. My appliances are now smaller and more efficient. I’ve given up plastic wrap, aluminum foil, commercial cleaning supplies and use baking soda, white vinegar and soap instead. We rarely waste food, eating leftovers, using trimmings for stock, and giving away extra food to extended family and friends. If I make too much, I’ll send a text to a friend and ask if they’d like dinner — YES!

Challenges 

I use more water than I’d like. We accumulate too much non- recyclable packaging! I can’t seem to give up ziplocks or my plastic storage containers.

Sustain a Change

It makes me happy when I sustain a change. Last Summer we bought stainless drinking straws, a soda stream, and reusable freezer molds for treats. One small choice leads to another, and I’m definitely farther along the path than I was. These steps interconnect, influence, and reinforce each other. How I cook influences what I cook, which influences what I buy, and how I dispose of and recycle what’s left. Habits build on one another, forming a foundation for further changes.

Values + Decisions = Actions

I don’t strive for perfection, but believe in making choices based on values. Deciding becomes easier when you know what matters.

It’s a win-win when doing what’s right also saves money, time, effort and brings joy and deliciousness into my kitchen. By taking these baby steps, one by one, we’re all reaching numbers larger than zero.

Love to Hear From You

What’s a small ecological victory that you’re sustaining in your kitchen? A habit or change that you’ve made that you feel good about?

First Three Replies

Terri: We do a lot of composting and keep a bin in the kitchen. I have beans in my pantry, and two small Aero gardens growing greens in the kitchen. I’m interested in this post and learning what others do.

Alice: The decision to start from scratch and buy bulk was a significant change. It cuts down on decision fatigue, saves money and simplifies meal planning. Book: “Living the good life” by Helen and Scott Nearing was influential. I read it thirty years ago, and it still means a lot to me.

Brian: We grow a lot of our own food. I like to produce more of what I like best, which of course ends up being more economical in the kitchen as you tend to eat more of what you grow.

Make Spiced Ghee In The Oven

This is the easiest way to make a large quantity of ghee. Ghee and clarified butter are essentially the same, except that ghee cooks longer.

Preheat the oven to 300F. Lay 12 unwrapped cubes of unsalted butter, 3 lbs. in the bottom of a large casserole or other heavy-bottomed pan. Add whatever whole spices you are using.

Allow the butter to melt, uncovered and undisturbed, until there is a layer of solid foam on the top, the foam will look crusty around the edges and even darker than the center, clear amber colored ghee will be in the middle and lumps of golden solids on the bottom. This will take approx. 1 hour, maybe longer.

Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon and then pour the remaining ghee through cheesecloth set over a strainer over a bowl, you can strain it twice if it’s cloudy.

Pour into glass storage containers and store in the refrigerator.

Some Spice Options:

Ethiopian Nit’r Qibe: 12 opened cardamom seeds, 2 teaspoons whole fenugreek, 2 teaspoons nigella seed

Cumin flavored ghee: 3 tablespoons whole cumin seeds

Ginger ghee: 2-inch piece of ginger root sliced

Roasted Vegetable Curry With Coconut Milk

Serves 4

1 hour

A delicious solution to making curry. Using the oven makes it hands-off and folding in the coconut cream at the end gives it a lovely sauce.

Ingredients

Spices

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, toasted and ground

1 Dried Ancho Chili, Torn Into Small Pieces, Toasted And Ground

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Paste

4 tablespoons ghee or butter

5 cloves garlic, minced into a paste

1-inch nub unpeeled ginger minced into a paste

Vegetables

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium zucchini cut into fries

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into fries

1 cup green beans, topped and tailed

1 cup cauliflower florets

Finishing

Juice of one lime

Coarse sea salt to taste

1 can thick coconut milk (use the coconut cream, and not the water at the bottom of the can)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

On the stovetop, in a small heavy-bottomed saute pan, toast on a low heat, the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, and torn ancho chili until fragrant and toasty. Grind the toasted spices with the turmeric in a spice grinder. Make a rough paste out of the ghee, minced garlic and ginger in the spice grinder or by hand. (I have a paste attachment cup on my spice grinder, a small food processor will also work.)

Prep the vegetables and lay them on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix the dry spices, salt and wet paste together. Rub the spice-paste all over the veggies. Roast for 15 minutes, stir everything and roast for about another 15 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, Take the cream out of a can of coconut milk, or use coconut cream, and leave the coconut water. When you’ve roasted the vegetables, put them into a serving dish, squeeze the lime juice over them, and salt if needed, and fold in the coconut cream. The last step is to melt the butter in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and cook them until they pop, or if they don’t pop, wait a minute and drizzle the mustard seed butter over the curry and serve.

THE SWEET WITH THE SOUR

My beet wedding salad or side for a crowd

4 pounds red beets, roasted with skins on and juices reserved

For the dressing

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1/4 cup sugar (dark whole cane)

1/8 cup honey

1/2 cup sherry vinegar

1/2 cup reserved beet juices from roasting

2-3 tablespoons horseradish sauce

2 teaspoons caraway seeds, roughly ground

1/2 cup walnut oil

Salt to taste

1) Roast the beets in a 425 F preheated oven. Use a covered casserole lined with parchment paper. They should take from 1 to 1 ½ hours to cook, and pierce easily with a knife when done. Let them cool, then peel and dice. Save the beet juices for the dressing.

2) Whisk the dressing together using a small food processor or by hand. Pour it over the beets. Let the salad sit for at least two hours or overnight before serving.