Did you know that you can use the whole vegetable? From root, peel to stem – it’s all great.
Using the whole vegetable can help you make the most of your veggies, reduce food waste, get creative and once again save you money.
There is more to broccoli and cauliflower then just the florets, there is more to pumpkins, carrots and potatoes than just their flesh. Vegetables are nutritious and delicious from root, stem to peel and there are so many different things you can make to get the most out of your veggies.
Smart ways you can use it all include – juicing it up or making smoothies, being a soup’erstar, roasting veg and stirfry’s.
Tips from the experts
- Vegetable scraps can be stored in a designated container in the freezer – when you have enough use this as the base for your own vegetable stock.
- Roast your veggie scraps and use them as is or turn it into a roast veggie leftover soup.
- Don’t throw away the broccoli stems – use them when roasting, stir frying or grating them and adding to sauces.
- Utilise the cauliflower leaves by roasting or pickling them.
- Use left over cabbage to make a ‘quick pickle’ or sauerkraut or kimchi.
- Flavour your peels with some herbs and spices and dehydrate them for a tasty snack
- Juice it up using your wonky vegetables and experiment with different flavours.
- Use your leftover or wonky veg in recipes such as pesto, omelettes, smoothies, stir fry’s.
- Blend it up – even the parts you’d usually throw away! You’ll be surprised what you can create with a quality blender! The tough, fibrous parts of the vegetable hold so much nutritional value – put them all in and be impressed by the truly smooth result.
FOOD FACT: BROCCOLI STEMS INCLUDE THE SAME AMOUNT OF NUTRIENTS AS THE FLOWER INCLUDING VITAMIN A, C, FIBRE, POTASSIUM AND FOLATE
Content contributed by Nutrition Australia
