As part of HuffPost’s “Reclaim” project, HuffPost Taste will focus the entire month of July on simple ways you can reduce food waste in your own home.
If you’re looking for ways to reduce food waste in your kitchen, we have the best solutions for you. Seven of them, in fact, all of them tastier than the last. They’re the recipes you need to cook up food scraps into something delicious.
The word “scraps” might not sound like something you want to eat, ever, but these odds and ends can be turned into cupcakes, quick breads and pestos. We gathered those recipes for you here below, to help you not only waste less food, but eat better too. Enjoy!
1.
Save washed carrot peels for baking into carrot cakes.
Pinch of Yum
Or cupcakes. Stash a bag in the freezer just for peels alone, and when you have about 1 1/2 cups turn them into dessert.
Get the Carrot Cupcake recipe from Pinch of Yum
Get the Carrot Cupcake recipe from Pinch of Yum
2.
Use up leftover or loose veggies in a frittata.
Foodie Crush
Have just one or two broccoli florets bouncing in the crisper? Or leftover peas from last night's dinner? Use those veggies to make a frittata instead of forgetting about them before they go bad. We have a great recipe for you below, just substitute in whatever leftover veggies you have on hand.
Get the Frittata recipe from Foodie Crush
Get the Frittata recipe from Foodie Crush
3.
Turn beet greens into pesto.
Sweet Potato Soul
Or carrot tops. Or radish greens. There's almost nothing that can't be turned into pesto.
Get the Beet Green Pesto recipe from Sweet Potato Soul
Get the Beet Green Pesto recipe from Sweet Potato Soul
4.
Slice up broccoli stems for a stir fry.
The Full Helping
Some would say stems are even better than florets.
Get the Simple Broccoli Stem And Brown Rice Stir Fry recipe from The Full Helping
Get the Simple Broccoli Stem And Brown Rice Stir Fry recipe from The Full Helping
5.
Turn potato peels into chips.
Framed Cooks
Sweet potato, regular potato, all of them work with this recipe.
Get the Potato Peel Chips recipe from Framed Cooks
Get the Potato Peel Chips recipe from Framed Cooks
6.
Keep zucchini ends to bake into quick bread.
Sally's Baking Addiction
Next time you're grilling up a heap of zucchini, save the ends you lop off to grate and bake into bread.
Get the Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
Get the Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction
7.
Use onion ends to make a flavorful stock.
Photosiber via Getty Images
Carrot peels and ends, plus celery tops and leaves, also make great additions in homemade stock.
Get the Homemade Vegetable Stock recipe
Get the Homemade Vegetable Stock recipe
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