Don’t Toss Those Kitchen Scraps!
02-03-2015
Author: Blog Editor in Diet for a Tiny House
If you’re cooking in your RV, the name of the game is economy -- of space, time and resources -- and here’s a tip that’ll also save you money. You probably have leftover vegetables and herb scraps from your meal preparation. I’m talking potato peelings, onion ends, carrot tops, the ittiest little garlic cloves you don’t want to waste your time with, etc. Don’t throw them away!
Save about 8 cups worth of scraps in a plastic Ziplock bag in your freezer, then make homemade vegetable stock with them. You basically cover the scraps with water and boil. Not hard at all! Even for an RV kitchen!
Homemade stock is the basis for a quick, savory stew or soup in one pot, and oh, so much better than the stuff in the can. I used mine to make a tortilla soup the other day and it was heavenly. Recipe below.
Here’s all it takes to make stock:
You might also want to invest in those little collapsible prep and storage bowls sold at Camping World and Bed, Bath and Beyond stores -- they come in packs of three. I never have enough prep dishes and these -- once squished down -- stack in the smallest RV cabinet. I use about 6 of them at once.
Save these vegetable trimmings for stock: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, fresh herbs, spinach, chard, kale, potatoes, squash, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, peas, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, corn cobs.
Avoid these vegetables because they can give stock an unpleasant smell and flavor: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, beets, onion skins, asparagus, artichoke trimmings, anything spoiled, moldy or funky.
Vegetable Broth
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
Directions:
Put frozen scraps and bay leaves into a soup pot and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil, simmer uncovered for an hour, adding crumbled bouillon cube to taste in last 15 minutes of cooking, then remove from heat and strain.
Vegetables should never be boiled more than an hour. If you’re into composting, put the used vegetable scraps into your compost pail and wish your worms bon appetit! Jar up the strained broth or use it immediately.
How simple is that? And nothing goes to waste.
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a soup pot, heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil to near smoking, and quickly fry tortilla strips for 30-60 seconds until crispy and golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or tongs to paper towels to drain. (Skip this step if using store-bought tortilla chips.)
In the same pot, add a little more oil if needed, add onion and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender.
Stir in broth, chilies and tomatoes, heat to boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes.
Add spinach, black beans, a few splashes of that hot sauce, and simmer five more minutes. Turn off heat and stir in lime juice.
While soup is cooling put out in separate bowls the tortilla chips, and cilantro, and of course have that hot sauce handy. Crumble chips and cilantro into the soup.
About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!
Save about 8 cups worth of scraps in a plastic Ziplock bag in your freezer, then make homemade vegetable stock with them. You basically cover the scraps with water and boil. Not hard at all! Even for an RV kitchen!
Homemade stock is the basis for a quick, savory stew or soup in one pot, and oh, so much better than the stuff in the can. I used mine to make a tortilla soup the other day and it was heavenly. Recipe below.
Here’s all it takes to make stock:
- 2-quart soup pot
- Large strainer (a set of 2 strainers is $6 at Cost Plus World Market)
- Mason jars or other liquid storage containers to store the broth
You might also want to invest in those little collapsible prep and storage bowls sold at Camping World and Bed, Bath and Beyond stores -- they come in packs of three. I never have enough prep dishes and these -- once squished down -- stack in the smallest RV cabinet. I use about 6 of them at once.
Save these vegetable trimmings for stock: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, fresh herbs, spinach, chard, kale, potatoes, squash, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, peas, green beans, zucchini, bell peppers, corn cobs.
Avoid these vegetables because they can give stock an unpleasant smell and flavor: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, beets, onion skins, asparagus, artichoke trimmings, anything spoiled, moldy or funky.
Vegetable Broth
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients:
- 8 cups of kitchen scraps chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Optional: 2 vegetable bouillon cubes (I like the Knorr variety if you can find it)
Directions:
Put frozen scraps and bay leaves into a soup pot and cover with about an inch of water. Bring to a boil, simmer uncovered for an hour, adding crumbled bouillon cube to taste in last 15 minutes of cooking, then remove from heat and strain.
Vegetables should never be boiled more than an hour. If you’re into composting, put the used vegetable scraps into your compost pail and wish your worms bon appetit! Jar up the strained broth or use it immediately.
How simple is that? And nothing goes to waste.
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 tsp. vegetable oil
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 4 small (5 or 6 inch) corn or flour tortillas cut into 2” x 3” strips, or a bunch of pre-made tortilla chips
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 big juicy tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small can green chiles, undrained
- 1 lime
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 3 tablespoons or more cilantro, leaves only, chopped
- handful of spinach leaves if you have them, chopped
- hot sauce to taste
Directions:
In a soup pot, heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil to near smoking, and quickly fry tortilla strips for 30-60 seconds until crispy and golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or tongs to paper towels to drain. (Skip this step if using store-bought tortilla chips.)
In the same pot, add a little more oil if needed, add onion and fry over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender.
Stir in broth, chilies and tomatoes, heat to boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes.
Add spinach, black beans, a few splashes of that hot sauce, and simmer five more minutes. Turn off heat and stir in lime juice.
While soup is cooling put out in separate bowls the tortilla chips, and cilantro, and of course have that hot sauce handy. Crumble chips and cilantro into the soup.
About Blog Author Wendy Gorski: I'm a full-time traveler with my husband Nick, and we live in a 2011 Airstream travel trailer. In 2012, we sold our 4,000-square-foot house with its gourmet kitchen and bought our 100-square-foot tiny Airstream house. In this blog, I'll share recipes, tips, thoughts, and experiences as we careen across the country in search of adventure. All my recipes will be primarily plant-based, fast to cook, easy to clean up, and delicious!
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