In these times, with families struggling with grocery bills and also having the desire to do better for the planet, food waste is becoming a more prominent topic.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one third of all food in the United States goes uneaten. EPA data also shows an estimate that in 2019, about 96% of wasted food ended up in landfills, combustion facilities or down a drain into a sewer system.
Composting can help, but the first step to lowering food waste is to be mindful when shopping and also to tackle leftovers that do end up in the fridge.
According to information on the EPA’s website: “Preventing food from going to waste is one of the easiest and most powerful actions you can take to save money and lower your climate change footprint.”
A habit that can help reduce food waste is turning to recipes that utilize items you might already have on hand.
This Hidden Veggie Pasta Sauce is great for persnickety eaters who don’t like to consume their vegetables. And adding parmesan cheese to veggies and then roasting them is a great way to get them into your family’s tummies.
And, of course, as it’s WIC Kitchen, it’s healthy! Tomatoes are high in lycopene, which is an antioxidant linked to reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Tomatoes and carrots are both high in vitamin K which is essential for blood clotting and bone health.
The veggies are simple to make — just throw them on a sheet pan and bake. And you can freeze the tomato sauce and use it later, which is a great way to preserve summer-fresh produce for later in the year.
This part of summer is the best time to take advantage of fresh garden vegetables, so enjoy!
Items marked with an asterisk (*) can be purchased with WIC benefits.
Call 304-598-5181 to learn more about MCHD WIC.
HIDDEN VEGGIE PASTA SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tomatoes, cut in chunks*
1 onion, finely diced*
1 red bell pepper, diced*
1 whole carrot*
2 stalks of zucchini, diced*
4 carrots, diced*
1 whole garlic*
1 tablespoon Italian dried mixed herbs
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
2 1/2 cups water
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes and garlic for five minutes.
Add the Italian seasonings, salt and chili flakes. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until veggies are soft.
Stir in the coconut milk and water.
Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Carefully spoon the sauce ingredients into a high speed blender, then blend until super smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to blend in batches.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Return blended sauce to your hot pan while you cook your pasta of choice before mixing with sauce and serving.
*Note, this can also be served with any protein, veggies or spaghetti squash instead of pasta.
PARMESAN ROASTED VEGGIES
1 head broccoli*
1 pound baby carrots*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese*
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the broccoli into bite sized florets.
Add baby carrots to bowl.
In a large bowl toss veggies with the oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
Distribute over a sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes.
Add parmesan cheese over the food and roast an additional five minutes.
Serve and enjoy.
