I love food, hate waste, as you might have learned from reading last week’s post on how to cook your scraps. I’m doing a bit of a series of posts at the moment, showcasing innovative ways to cut unnecessary food wastage as part of Buy Nothing New Month (I’m an ambassador; I’m also an ambassador for the Love Food Hate Waste campaign).
Now. I’m not suggesting eating out of bins. But I am suggesting thinking before you chuck stuff in bins. If you care about food in any way, then every bit of care should be taken to not waste any of it…and to get creative with the “whole” food. Recycling and composting isn’t enough; cutting waste in the first place is where we should be heading. To get things started, I’m going to get leafy with it…
Beet leaves:
These things possess most of the properties of most greens – whether it be spinach, silverbeet or kale. And, no doubt many of the properties of beetroots themselves. Dr. Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, lists beetroots as one of the top foods you should be eating. Think of beets as red spinach, he says, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
What do they taste like? Much like spinach, but more like kale in texture.
How to cook them? As you would spinach etc. I don’t advise eating raw. I add them to soups, casseroles and they’re great with eggs (see the frittata recipe below). Or you can try this one:
Sausage and Beetroot Hash
- 1 good quality sausage (I like a pork sausage with fennel seeds)
- 1 small beetroot, partially precooked, cut into 2cm cubes, or wedges*
- red onion or a few green shallots