Tips and recipes to use up the last of the summer veg

Every yr, the UK throws away 6.6 million tons of family food waste and virtually three-quarters of that’s meals that might’ve been eaten.

Latest analysis reveals that just about three quarters (73 per cent) of Brits have gotten extra conscious of the affect of their meals selections on the environment. Fascinated with sourcing moral produce and decreasing meals miles are simply two sustainable consuming habits which are on their approach to changing into a part of our on a regular basis routines.

The knowledgeable cooks at Gousto are on a mission to fight waste, sending out exact components that save, on common, 2kg of family food waste per field. This summer season, they’re championing three seasonal vegetable heroes, and have shared their high tips about the way to expend each final scrap. So, right here’s your contemporary supply of zero-waste summer season inspiration.

Make tomatoes the star of your BBQ

Large, spherical, juicy tomatoes are so on this season and make the right BBQ meals companion, whether or not they’re roasted in olive oil and dusted with lemon zest or popped right into a candy and salty salad with avocado, watermelon, tamari and feta. The summer season months are one of the best time of yr for probably the most versatile fruits within the bowl (maintain your tomatoes in a fruit bowl for optimum ripeness and umami!)

When you actually need to impress your company, we advocate roasting pink beef tomatoes as a deliciously juicy centrepiece – attempt them in a heat Mediterranean veg salad (recipe under).

Not solely are tomatoes lip-smackingly scrumptious, they’re good for you, too. They include lycopene and chlorogenic acid – each antioxidants – and nutritional vitamins A and C, serving to to maintain your pores and skin, blood vessels, bones, and cartilage wholesome.

Roast pink beef tomato and Mediterranean veg salad

Serves: 2

Elements:

1 yellow pepper

1 courgette

40g mature cheddar

20g seasonal salad

1 pink beef tomato

1 ciabatta

15ml crimson wine vinegar

15g flaked almonds

20g basil

1 garlic clove

1 aubergine

Technique:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/425F/fuel 7. Deseed the yellow pepper (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and lower into skinny strips. Prime, tail, then chop the courgette into bite-sized items. Trim the inexperienced stalks off the aubergine and chop into bite-sized items.

2. Add the chopped vegetables to a baking tray with a really beneficiant drizzle of olive oil and a beneficiant pinch of salt and pepper. Give every little thing a great combine up and put the tray within the oven for 20-25 min or till golden and tender – these are your roasted greens. Tip: take away the tray midway and provides every little thing one other good combine up.

3. Whereas the greens are roasting, take away the inexperienced stalk from the pink beef tomato. Slice the pink beef tomato in half, horizontally. Add the tomato halves to at least one aspect of a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and put the tray within the oven for 15-20 min or till softened.

4. Whereas the tomatoes are within the oven, peel the garlic and chop it roughly. Grate the cheddar cheese.

5. Add the basil, chopped garlic, grated cheese and flaked almonds to a meals processor. Add 3 tbsp olive oil and three tbsp chilly water and whizz till a easy paste has shaped – that is your selfmade cheddar pesto.

6. Rip the ciabatta into massive bite-sized items. As soon as the tomatoes have been cooking for 10 minutes, add the ripped ciabatta to the opposite aspect of the tray and drizzle them with olive oil. Return the tray to the oven for five min or till the croutons are starting to crisp.

7. In the meantime, mix the crimson wine vinegar with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper – that is your dressing. Wash and drain the seasonal salad. Divide the roasted greens between plates and toss by way of the washed seasonal salad. Drizzle over the dressing and high with the roasted tomato halves. Dollop the selfmade cheddar pesto throughout.

Make courgettes your go-to, versatile plate pleaser

When you’ve ever tried rising courgettes you’ll realize it’s troublesome to develop only one or two. Listed here are just a few methods we advocate utilizing up an abundance of this versatile seasonal staple.

Relying on the way you prepare dinner them, the flavours and textures of a courgette can fluctuate. For a lighter twist on a summery lasagne, use the skins and outer flesh as scrumptious low-carb pasta sheets. Angle the courgette away from you, in the direction of a chopping board, and glide a peeler by way of the pores and skin to create even slices. Layer up the skins and chop the rest of the courgette into the bolognese sauce filling – no waste and a veg-packed dinner!

For one thing a bit extra indulgent, lower your courgette straight down the center, hole out and stuff it with sausage meat and herbs, high with cheese and roast within the oven. *Cooks kiss*.

One other favorite approach to put together courgettes is to roast slices in olive oil and serve with figs, goat’s cheese and couscous. The candy, honeyed style of the figs completely enhances the goats’ cheese and courgette. Bear in mind: don’t use an excessive amount of oil, as courgettes are tremendous absorbent and can take in no matter you throw at them.

An abundance of courgettes is nature’s sign to include them into your weight-reduction plan. Filled with vitamin A, B and B6, courgettes help good eyesight, crucial mind improvement, wholesome immune methods and even assist regulate blood glucose ranges. So, pack on this versatile veggie wherever you’ll be able to.

Make each a part of the cauliflower the star of the present

Cauliflower is the present that retains on giving. When it’s prepared to reap, this tremendous versatile vegetable works as the bottom for therefore many scrumptious flavour pairings. Strive scorching cauliflower steaks served with scorching, zingy lemon wedges or just roast in a splash of olive oil and paprika earlier than dipping generously in hummus. Check out the recipe for cauliflower steak with herby bulguar and heat harissa dressing under.

Sophie Nahmad, chef at Gousto, champions the underdog – the cauliflower leaves. She says: “Usually thrown away, cauliflower leaves are a shock and delight ingredient that can be utilized in so some ways, supplying you with an additional increase of vitamins. My favorite approach to put together them is to ferment them to make kimchi. Jam-packed with probiotics and good micro organism for the intestine, salty kimchi is ideal for broths or served with rice and fish to carry collectively the flavours of the ocean.”

Cauliflower steak with herby bulgur and heat harissa dressing

Serves: 2

Elements:

1 tbsp ras el hanout

1 residing lettuce

20g harissa paste

30g diced apricots

15g flaked almonds

10g parsley & mint

1 courgette

1 crimson pepper

1 cauliflower

75g bulgur wheat

1 lemon

Technique:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/fuel 7. Slice the cauliflower into 2 1-inch steaks (use the center half because it’s bigger!). Tip: save any further florets for an additional recipe! Add the cauliflower steaks to a baking tray, then brush over 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle over the ras el hanout, season with a pinch of salt and put within the oven for an preliminary quarter-hour.

2. Whereas the cauliflower is cooking, boil a full kettle. Deseed the crimson pepper (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and lower into thick strips. Prime, tail then slice the courgette into rounds. Add the pepper strips and courgette rounds to a separate tray with ½ tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and provides it a great combine up, then set them apart for later.

3. Add the bulgur wheat and diced apricots to a pot with loads of boiled water and a pinch of salt. Deliver to the boil over a excessive warmth and prepare dinner for 7-9 minutes or till tender with a slight chew. As soon as cooked, drain and return to the pot.

4. As soon as the cauliflower steaks have had an preliminary quarter-hour, take away the tray from the oven and switch the steaks over. Return the cauliflower steaks to the oven together with the pepper strips and courgette rounds and prepare dinner for an additional 15-20 minutes or till every little thing is cooked by way of and tender – that is your spiced cauliflower steaks and roasted veg.

5. Whereas the greens are cooking, warmth a big, dry, wide-based pan (ideally non-stick) over a medium-high warmth. As soon as scorching, add the flaked almonds and prepare dinner for 2-3 minutes or till toasted and golden. Tip: watch them like a hawk to verify they don’t burn! As soon as toasted, switch to a plate and reserve the pan.

6. Strip the mint leaves from their stems, then chop them finely and discard the stems and chop the parsley finely, together with the stalks. Add a lot of the chopped parsley and mint (save the remaining for garnish!) to the cooked bulgur and provides it a great combine – that is your herby bulgur. Take away the bottom of the residing lettuce, then wash the residing lettuce beneath chilly working water, lower away the core and pat dry with kitchen paper. Tear the residing lettuce leaves from the stem till you might be left with a pile of leaves.

7. Return the reserved pan to a low warmth. As soon as heat, add the harissa paste (can’t deal with the warmth? Go straightforward!) and 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and blend collectively. Squeeze within the juice of ½ lemon and season with a pinch of salt and pepper – that is your heat harissa dressing. Lower the remaining lemon into wedges. Serve the spiced cauliflower steaks with the herby bulgur, roasted veg and shredded lettuce to the aspect. Drizzle the nice and cozy harissa dressing throughout. Garnish with the toasted flaked almonds, a lemon wedge and the remaining chopped parsley and mint. Get pleasure from!

Recipes from Gousto, the UK’s best value recipe box, providing 75 meals weekly from £3.14. Go to gousto.co.uk for extra info and recipe inspiration.