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1/9 of people is undernourished, although 1/3 of the food production is wasted…
Sometimes I sit and think about how small things are actually wearing our heads. I grumble because the Internet is slowing down, for example, but 49% of the people in the world don’t even have this chance… [1] Or I get angry because the water pressure at home decreases, but there are many people that do not have clean water supply…
Although enough food to feed almost twice the world’s population is produced every day, 1/9 of people is undernourished and 1/3 of the food production is wasted. 45% of children under five years old die every year due to nutritional deficiency. [2]
Less is more…
When someone spends as much time as I do in the kitchen, thinks about this. In fact, even the ones who don’t cook think of it, they must. Well, what are we going to do? We can’t think of worse all the time and be the Polyanna, but we can become more aware of these facts. Human psychology always tends to want more, but when we realize it, it is possible to change, or at least to balance it. We can start from our own home: less clothes, more environment friendly cleaning products, less garbage, recycling…
And of course reducing food waste. As I spend plenty of time in kitchen, I really try to do something to reduce the food waste. I do not throw away much food, I don’t have the heart for that.
Start With The Basics
What I commonly do is to turn the stems of the vegetables, which are usually thrown away, into soup. Spinach, parsley, broccoli stems combined with peas become a very delicious soup, believe me!
Overcooked Beans
Recently, I cooked some beans a little too much, so I had to find another way to eat it rather than the traditional meal. When I say “a little too much” I actually mean pureed J Even when I was sieving, they were turning into a bean-puree! So I saved some “whole” beans to cook a meal, and with the pureed rest I made a dessert. Yes, a dessert made with beans. And it was simply delicious!
If you make the same mistake while cooking the beans one day, I am leaving the recipe also here so you don’t need to throw them in the bin. I am sure that chickpeas would also work in that recipe. If you have trouble with overcooked beans, just stay calm and remember this post here. You might even use this as a pretext to overcook beans 😉
This dessert is very easy to make, also rich in protein thanks to beans. Doesn’t contain any refined sugar of course, and really easy to turn into a vegan recipe.
Bean Cake
- 500 grams overcooked beans
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup honey (maple syrup or molasses for vegan)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Put everything in the food processor and blended until smooth. Then spread in a baking dish. To top, I used 3 figs cut into small chunks, a handful of roughly chopped walnuts and 1 tablespoon of cocoa nibs. Put it into freezer to get firm. When it is once firm, cut into squares with a sharp knife, better to heat the knife first, and serve.
This Is Just A Beginning…
All this doesn’t mean that I am living a totally minimalist life. There is of course garbage in the kitchen, there are too many clothes in the cupboard… But I am trying to improve for a better world.
I hope this gives you an idea and encourage to try new things to reduce your waste!
Less Waste in The Kitchen References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Internet_usage
[2] www.foodaidfoundation.org
