Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies

Your recipe for saving the planet (and some money too!)

If you’re like many of us, you waste your fair share of food. And you may think that food waste is an inevitable part of modern life. But in Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies, you’ll learn a little about sustainability in agriculture and where your food comes from, and how to organize your kitchen for less waste. With food waste in mind, you’ll also learn how to meal plan and shop within your budget.And ultimately, you’ll learn how to use every last bit of what’s in your fridge, freezer, and cupboard to make delicious meals, save money, and do your part for the environment.

In this book, celebrated dietitian and internationally recognized author Rosanne Rust walks you through every step of transforming how you plan your meals, shop for groceries, store your food, cook your food, and deal with leftovers. Whether you’re more experiences or the type of cook who can burn water, you’ll find tips and strategies that help you buy, use, and waste less food.

Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies offers:

• Dozens of recipes for delicious entrees, appetizers, breakfasts, soups, salads, and more
• Meal planning ideas that make grocery shopping a breeze, save you real money, and help you make the most of what you have in your kitchen
• Tips and tricks for how to use leftovers, how to craft new dishes with leftover ingredients so you don’t need to throw anything away, and more

This book is a must-read for any homemaker, home cook or anyone looking for ways to save a little money, reduce their carbon footprint, and make some awesome, nutritious meals.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Adopting a Food Waste Strategy 7

Chapter 1: Doing Your Best to Waste Less 9

Chapter 2: A Side of Sustainability: Putting Food and the Environment into Context 21

Chapter 3: Getting Your Head in the Zero Waste Game 41

Part 2: Waste Not, Want Not in Your Kitchen 49

Chapter 4: Setting Up Your Kitchen for Zero Waste Success 51

Chapter 5: Storage Strategies to Help Reduce Your Personal Food Waste 61

Chapter 6: Managing Your Zero Waste Grocery Budget and Staying Healthy 77

Chapter 7: Sample Meal Plans: Zero Waste Ideas in Action 103

Part 3: Zero Waste Recipes 113

Chapter 8: Guest-Pleasing Starters 115

Chapter 9: Anytime Egg Dishes for All 131

Chapter 10: Leveraging Leftovers for Nutritious Soups and Salads 143

Chapter 11: Wasting No Time or Money on Dressings, Sauces, and Toppings 159

Chapter 12: Simple Sides for Busy Times 171

Chapter 13: Barnyard, Seaside, and Vegetarian Main Dishes 185

Chapter 14: Oh, the Pasta-bilities! 211

Chapter 15: Creating Delicious Handhelds with What You Have on Hand 229

Chapter 16: Anytime Sweets and Savory Snacks 241

Chapter 17: Crafting Mocktails, Smoothies, and Cocktails 253

Part 4: The Part of Tens 269

Chapter 18: Ten Uses for Leftover Eggs, Ripening Produce, and Scraps 271

Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Use Stale Bread 279

Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Use Up Dairy Before It Spoils 287

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Reduce Waste from Restaurant Meals 293

Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 301

Index 305

Rosanne Rust is an internationally recognized nutrition expert, registered dietitian, and author with a passion for balanced eating and reducing waste. Grounded in science, she has focused on helping people set realistic health and dietary goals over her 30-year career. She provides freelance nutrition communications work in the food and agriculture spaces and blogs at Chew the Facts.^® Find her on social media @chewthefacts or www.rustnutrition.com.

Upcycle scraps and bits into meals or cocktails

“Waste not, want not” is just as true for food as it is for everything else! If you want to reduce the amount of food you throw away—and the amount you spend on groceries—you need to check out Zero Waste Cooking For Dummies. You’ll learn how to organize and manage your kitchen, save money, reduce your carbon footprint, and eat healthy while you’re at it. The dozens of delicious recipes included inside will help you make use of what you have on hand and those leftovers in your fridge. You’ll even find amazing cocktail and mocktail suggestions!

Inside…

• Create food waste strategies for shopping and cooking
• Zero waste meal planning ideas
• Apply proper food storage techniques
• Interpret Best By, Use By, and Sell By dates
• Turn pantry staples into quick meals
• Create new sauces, sides, everyday entrees, sandwiches, and more