This Bread Is Bananas, Cook More, Waste Less: Zero-Waste Recipes to Use Up Groceries, Tackle Food Scraps, and Transform Leftovers by Christine Tizzard. Photography by Reena Newman.
Cook More, Waste Less offers accessible solutions to a problem every home cook faces: waste. From grocery shopping tips to pantry storage ideas, this book is packed with strategies to get the most out of your food, whether it’s fresh or frozen, ingredients a little past their prime, or leftovers.
Written by food industry professional Christine Tizzard, who after seeing (and cringing at) the amount of wasted food during filming and photoshoots, and having many friends come to her with their own food waste woes, knew she had to share the everyday low waste hacks she uses in her own kitchen.
Inside there are over 100 adaptable recipes to enjoy, with plenty of flexibility for substitutions. Turn leftover broccoli and Swiss chard stems into a delicious au gratin. Use up your parmesan rinds in a soothing broth. Make a mouthwatering pot roast and turn the leftovers into a savoury pie or beefy black lentil stew. Leftover rice? Rice pudding. Is fruit going soft? Anything can be a marmalade. There are even ideas for face scrubs and dog treats.
Featuring candid photography and zero waste tips from other chefs and producers, Cook More, Waste Less gives you the tools to enjoy every last bite, save valuable dollars, and help reduce environmental impact at the same time.
Cook More, Waste Less: Zero-Waste Recipes to Use Up Groceries, Tackle Food Scraps, and Transform Leftovers is available at Amazon.com and Indigo.ca.
This Bread Is Bananas
Yep, the whole banana, peel and all. This version is also insanely better than regular banana bread—denser and more moist. Also, check out the Banana Peel Chutney recipe (page 198) for all the reasons why we should be eating more banana peels.
2 overripe bruised bananas, peels and all
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder Pinch salt
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract (see below)
Optional Add-Ins
½–1 cup chocolate or dark chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts and/or seeds
Optional Add-Ons
The Only Crumble You Will Need (page 227)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line or grease a loaf pan. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Peel the bananas and roughly chop the peels. Simmer the peels in boiling water for 5 minutes and then drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until incorporated, light, and fluffy.
- In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a blender or food processor, blend the bananas, peels, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- Slowly beat the banana mixture into the butter mixture until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture until combined. Stir in any optional add-ins and evenly spread with the crumble if using.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Food 911 Apple slices can keep your baked goods and breads moist, just cozy up a few slices in a sealed container with any extra baked goods you have to prevent them from going stale too quickly.
USES UP bananas MAKES 1 loaf
TOTAL TIME 1 hour, 20 minutes
KEEPS FOR up to 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer
100% Pure Vanilla Extract
Did you know you can make pure vanilla extract at home? It’s true—I haven’t had to buy pure vanilla extract in over seven years, which saves money in the long run, and it’s the easiest thing to make. Double the recipe if you bake with vanilla often.
About 4 fresh vanilla beans and/or previously used and rinsed vanilla beans, cut lengthwise to expose seeds
½ cup unflavored vodka (see substitutions)
- Add the split vanilla beans to a clean bottle. Cover with vodka, using a funnel if necessary, and seal shut.
- Store in a cool dark place and shake daily for a minimum of 14 days.
- Use when needed, adding rinsed leftover pods from previous recipes and topping up with more vodka as it depletes.
Food 911 You know how recipes always say to add vanilla extract last, away from a heat source? Well, it’s because the flavor is held in the alcohol, and when alcohol is burned off, the flavors diminish. Pure vanilla extract is pricey, so the last thing you want to do is just burn it off.
MAKES ½ cup
TOTAL TIME 2 minutes (+ 14 days of steep time)
CAN SUBSTITUTE
- Vodka with gin, brandy, rum, or bourbon, or even a little splash of one of these mixed in (just remember you’ve got to like the taste of the alcohol you use)
Recipe reprinted with permission from appetite by Random House.