Reduce your food waste by saving vegetable skins and guts in your freezer and I will show you how to make vegetable broth with scraps!

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I hate food waste. I try very hard to plan meals around what needs to be used up first, freezing anything that can be frozen if needed, and finding new purposes for leftovers. But even when I am the most diligent there are still bits of waste that could be of use still.

I’m talking about all the scraps that arise from peeling and chopping vegetables for various recipes or general eating. Sure it may not seem like much, but we have not purchased our own vegetable broth (or poultry stock) in years because we make our own out of the scraps!

We do have a composter but not all food scraps should be pigeon-holed into one role, at least not at first. Instead, start a new habit to celebrate #NationalStopFoodWasteDay and save those vegetable scraps in a gallon sized zip-top freezer bag until it is stuffed full.

Things that you should save for vegetable broth include: onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, tomato, squash guts, mushroom stems, garlic skins, and herb stems (parsley, rosemary, thyme). Of course you could also make a specific flavored broth by going heavy on one component, such as a mushroom broth.

However, these should not go into your broth: stems from leafy greens, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, and beets. Basically, no starchy veggies. Save those scraps for the compost pile.

But now, how to make vegetable broth from scraps? When you are ready, all you need are bay leaves, water, and a large stock pot. Once processed, you can can the broth or freeze it until you are ready to use it. And those boiled vegetables? Now you can toss them into the composter!

National Stop Food Waste Day

• 4 ways to use leftover mashed potatoes by Frugal & Fit
• Empanada Nachos by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Broccoli and Ham Quiche by Blogghetti
• Antipasto Smothered Chicken by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• How To Make Vegetable Broth with Scraps by The Spiffy Cookie
• Buttermilk Bread by Making Miracles
• Chicken Meatball Pasta Soup by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Four years ago: Bacon and Vegetable PizzaBacon and Vegetable Pizza

Five years ago: Sourdough Pretzel Bagels

Six years ago: Avocado Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Seven years ago: Spring Salsa

Nine years ago: Funfetti Month Recipe Round-Up

VEGETABLE BROTH WITH SCRAPS

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Yield: 4 quarts Cooking Time: 1 Hour 1 Hour

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

1 gallon bag of frozen vegetable scraps

• Onion
• Celery
• Carrot
• Bell pepper
• Tomato
• Squash guts
• Mushroom stems
• Garlic skins
• Herb stems (parsley, rosemary, thyme)

2 bay leaves

4 quarts (1 gallon/16 cups) of water

Directions

1. In a gallon sized zip-top freezer bag, save vegetable scraps.
2. Once full, empty into a large stock pot, plus bay leaves and water (or enough to cover).
3. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 1 hour.
4. Strain vegetable scraps and discard (can compost). Pour broth into jars and process for canning (or freeze until ready to use).

Notes

Vegetables NOT to use: stems from leafy greens, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, potato, beets. You can add meat bones to make beef or poultry stock.

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Lately, as I have been spending the majority of my free time traveling on the weekends and painting/packing on weeknights, cooking dinner has been pretty low on the priority list since we often are not getting home before 9 pm. I’ve thrown together random leftovers, ordered pizza, and picked up fast food more often than ever. Let’s not even get into the last time I went to the gym (over a week which is rare for me). However, being that I have a fairly well stocked kitchen from the pantry to the freezer, I need to focus more attention on cooking with what I have in an effort to minimize what needs to be moved to the new house. One night when we didn’t paint at the new house but instead stayed at home and packed, I was able to throw together these acorn squashes stuffed with an array of things I already had on hand. With quinoa, broccoli, dried cranberries, and pepitas, these squashes are a savory kitchen sink recipe. I even got to use fresh sage from my indoor plant (that sadly suddenly died thereafter).

Meanwhile, I recently heard through the blogger grapevine that Google is “rewarding” posts that are recipe only and do not contain stories or commentary because according to them readers want recipes, not stories. While I have no intention of keeping quiet and posting recipes only (because I do what I want!), I cannot say that I am shocked by this claim. I’ve already had more than one friend express their dislike of bloggers and their “stories” and their annoyance at having to scroll through several paragraphs and pictures before finally reaching the recipe. I think this phenomenon may be directed more towards the person who stumbles upon a blog’s recipe through Pinterest, Google, etc. and truly only wants the recipe. But for the readers and followers, most of the time you are here because of the stories! Granted, sometimes my stories may be mundane (such as today’s about how I am painting my life away) but it’s what’s going on in my life and is a little back story to the recipe I shared. So unless you protest, I will continue to let my fingers run free across the keyboard.

One year ago: Cider-Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter-Pecan Rice

Two years ago: Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Four years ago: Breakfast Pizza

Five years ago: Baked Oatmeal

ACORN SQUASH STUFFED WITH QUINOA PILAF

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squashes, cut in half length-wise and seeds removed

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed

1 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth

1/2 finely chopped yellow onion

1 cup chopped broccoli

1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

1/4 cup roasted pepitas

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
2. Brush the flesh of the squash with 1 teaspoon of olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on prepared baking sheet, and roast for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine quinoa and broth in a medium pan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until broth is absorbed, and quinoa is nice and fluffy.
4. While quinoa is cooking, place olive oil in medium skillet pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, and set aside.
5. When quinoa is done cooking, stir in onion mixture, almonds, pepitas, cranberries, and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. When squash is cooked, remove from oven and place each piece on a plate. Scoop about 1/2 cup of quinoa pilaf mixture in to each squash half and serve.

Source: Inspired by EA Stewart.

A new take on your favorite cream cheese chicken enchiladas made gluten-free and stuffed into an acorn squash! But still featuring all the creamy, cheesy goodness you love.

The #1 all time most popular recipe on this blog has been my cream cheese chicken enchiladas. (Second most popular? My favorite chewy chocolate chip cookies.) Every day it is the most viewed post which has lead me to believe that what you really want are enchiladas! As a result I have shared several other enchilada recipes such as cheesy veggie, chicken and spinach, and spicy avocado chicken. Yet the cream cheese version still reigned as king.

Since the cream cheese chicken enchiladas remain the most popular enchilada on my blog, I figured it was time to reinvent it a bit. This gluten-free version only has two changes from the original: the addition of bell peppers and substitution of tortillas with acorn squash! It was a huge success and may need to have a regular position on the menu. That says a lot folks because I rarely make the same exact thing without changing it at least a little bit (Exhibit A: this recipe).

One year ago: Giant Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Cookie For One

Three years ago: S’mores Molten Lava Cake

Four years ago: Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Layer Pie

CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN ENCHILADA STUFFED SQUASH

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 dumpling or acorn squashes, halved lengthwise and seeds removed

Olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, plus more for topping (I used 4% Cobani)

10 oz. can of enchilada sauce, divided

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (canned, drained corn works)

1 red or green bell pepper, diced (I used half of each)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

4 oz. can diced green chiles

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
2. Brush the insides of the squash with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place cut-side-down on prepared baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 of the enchilada sauce. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.
4. In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, peppers, half the scallions, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper (to taste). Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and combine well.
5. When the squash is done, remove from oven and flip over so they look like bowls. Rake a fork across the inside of the squash. Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the four squash bowls. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Place back in oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.
6. Serve with topped with remaining scallions, cilantro, and any other favorite toppings.

Source: Adapted from Peas & Crayons and my Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas.

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