Recycling is in, and it is found everywhere. Recycling has raised awareness to people everywhere toward restoring the environment before it’s too late. When we think of recycling, we tend to think of recycling plastics, food wrappers, cans and bottles. This is to reduce waste products that cause destruction to Mother Earth.

On the other hand, household throwaways are also consuming space in our cabinets back home. Household throwaways like used clothes, shoes and toys, that is. These can also be recycled through good deeds. You can give or donate items like these to the less fortunate ones under various charitable institutions, instead of filling our landfills. However, if there is one household throwaway that every one of us is guilty of not recycling… our food leftovers.

Whether it’s a piece of meat leftover from a Sunday barbeque party, or a box of uneaten veggies from your salad, it’s a waste of money to throw them away! Remember that it took you a whole lot of effort to both purchase the food from the grocery store and prepare it for a meal.

For those who are already into cooking, and those who are willing to learn, there are countless recipes for you to uncover. These recipes will not only please the whole family’s taste buds but will also help you save up some cash through recycling food leftovers.

Here are some recipes you will love by simply using up food that is taking up space in your fridge.

For Veggie Leftovers:

Versatile Veggie Soup: Time to use up those vegetables!

Method

1. Gather all the raw veggies you have. Chop them up!

2. Fry them all up in a pan with a little vegetable oil until they soften.

3. Cover them and let them simmer from 10 to 15 minutes. Blend the mixture until it is smooth, and then season.

4. This soup is delicious served with a  dollop of crème fraîche!

Vegetable Cakes with Egg and Salsa: Leftover veggies from a roast? Try this!

Method:

1. Take half of the onions, cook with a little butter, and mix with the other vegetables, like potatoes, cabbage, and just about anything else. If you have some coriander, add half of it to this mix. Mold it all into four small cakes. 

2. Let’s make some salsa! Add the rest of your coriander with the rest of your onions and some tomatoes. Mix in a tablespoon of olive oil and some vinegar.

3. Fry the cakes with some butter in a pan on medium heat. Give them about five minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. Top them with some poached eggs and your salsa!

For Meat Leftovers:

Sweet Mustard Pasta with Chicken: Chicken leftovers again? Make some pasta!

Method:

1. Boil pasta (penne is good for this!) and cool under water.

2. Mix some mayonnaise, mustard and honey together. Add some water to loosen. The dressing should have the consistency of double cream.

3. Add some onions, basil and tomatoes to the pasta, chicken and dressing. Season and gently mix!

Indian Salmon Cakes: Turn your leftover salmon into a completely unique meal!

Method:

1. Boil some potatoes to start. While this is going on, dry-fry some cumin seeds for a few seconds in non-stick pan.

2. When the potatoes are soft, drain them and put them in a saucepan. Add the cumin, some onions, chili and coriander, and seasoning of your choice. Now is the fun part: mash them all together!

3. When cooled enough, mix in two tablespoons of egg and carefully stir in the salmon.

4. Shape into four cakes and coat with flour. If you want to freeze these for later, it’s best to freeze them on a baking sheet until they’re solid. Then you can package them.

5. To cook them, melt some butter in a pan and fry the cakes for roughly two minutes on each side. They should take on a golden color. The salmon cakes go great with mayonnaise, a mango chutney or raita. The raita recipe is below!

6. Simple Raita Recipe: Simply mix 150 grams of pot natural yogurt with a teaspoon of mint jelly and a tablespoon of chopped coriander! Voila!

Remember that throwing away food is like throwing away your cash. At the same time, recycling food leftover mean recycling your cash, too!

Do you have any experience in recycling food leftovers? Share leftover food recipes you have in your comments!