You could throw away your fruit and veggie scraps. Or, you could eat them. Seriously. They’re full of vitamins and fibre – and plenty of flavour too.

POTATO PEELS
Crisps: Toss in olive oil and bake at 200°C until crisp. Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt, paprika or rosemary.
Tex-Mex: Pile roast potato skins with salsa, cheese and guac.
Hash browns: Combine chopped potato peels and onions to make hash browns.
Soup: Potato skins make soup thick and creamy.

CAULIFLOWER LEAVES
Leafy side: Brush whole, clean leaves with olive oil and season. Roast at 180°C until crisp.
Gratin: Chop leaves (plus thick spines) and fry with onion and garlic. Sprinkle with Parmesan and grill.

HERB STEMS
Bottle them: Slide stalks into bottles of oil, vinegar or gin.
Take stock: Add to your pot when making stocks and soups.
All tied up: Tie stems together with string, add to dishes for flavour, then scoop out before serving.
Hey, pesto: They add a lovely zing.

BROCCOLI STALKS
Drink them: Juice with beetroot, ginger and apple.
Mash time: Steam broccoli stalks, then purée with cooked potatoes, for an alternative to regular mash.

APPLE PEELS
Smoothies: Add to drinks for an extra dose of fibre. Store in a freezer bag or submerge in water to prevent them from going brown.
Lunch box: Toss peels in coconut oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 200°C until crisp.
Bircher muesli: Grate apple skins and cores, then soak overnight with rolled oats and water or milk.

BEETROOT LEAVES
Salads: Bulk up your usual recipe or make a bed for a new creation.
Sautéed side: A thrifty substitute for spinach, beet leaves can be fried, wilted or creamed.
Spanako-beet-a: Fry the leaves (and chopped stalks) with onion and cumin, mix in feta and mint, wrap in phyllo and bake.

The post Don’t scrap that! How to use up leftover kitchen scraps appeared first on MyKitchen.