7 delicious things you shouldn’t be throwing away

Most of us are on autopilot when we prepare food. We peel potatoes and throw away the skins, cut the stalk off our broccoli and drain the liquid from our chickpeas without a second thought.

But what if we told you that not only are you unnecessarily throwing away edible food, you are also throwing away delicious food?

With a little time and know-how it is easy to transform food you once wasted into tasty snacks.

(Thanks to Love Food Hate Waste)

Aquafaba = chocolate mousse

Aquafaba is the brine in a can of chickpeas which can be used as a substitute for egg whites. We love it in this healthier chocolate mousse which uses aquafaba instead of eggs and cream. Aquafaba can be used to replace egg whites in other things such as hotcakes, meringues and mayonnaise.

Bread crusts = bread chips

Cinnamon Sugar Bread Crust Treats by Recipe Tin Eats

Most of us probably eat the crusts of our bread, but it can be challenging to get some children to eat them. Why not turn them into these cinnamon sugar bread chips? If you’re tempted to try them but don’t have a surplus of crusts, you can make them with regular slices of bread. If savoury food is more to your liking, try these parmesan and thyme bread crusts.

Broccoli stalks = broccoli soup

You know you can eat the stalk, right? Broccoli stalks are nutritious and are great for bulking out a recipe like a stir fry of casserole. Try using it in this delicious and healthy soup from Dr Libby Weaver. What about broccoli leaves? Yep, they’re edible as well. Try them in this broccoleaf breakfast smoothie.

Read more: 8 ways with broccoli stalks

Cauliflower leaves = cauliflower pesto

Following on from broccoli, cauliflower stalks and leaves are also edible. We love this cauliflower and sunflower seed pesto recipe that makes use of the leaves. Eat it on crackers or serve it as a condiment with meat. You can also roast your cauliflower leaves.

Parmesan rinds = cheese crackling Parmesan Rinds

Not everyone is going to have parmesan rinds lying around, but if you do, try this addictive cheese crackling. All you need to do is cut the rind into strips and bake in an 180°C oven for 15 minutes until they are puffed up. Yum.

Vegetable peelings = vegetable chips

If you give your vegetables a good wash, most of the time you shouldn’t need to peel them. But if you do need to peel your vegetables for things like mashed potatoes, roast them to make a pre-dinner snack.