A Taste of Sustainability Recipe Spotlight
Sweet, Simple, Sustainable
Sustainability seems like a lot of work — you need all organic ingredients, you have to find a meat substitute, AND you have to think long and hard before actually buying anything at the grocery store. As if that weren’t enough, whatever you end up cooking is going to taste either very bland or really strange. But this really isn’t the case. As the recipes below show, sustainability can really just be a matter of using old vegetables in your fridge to make something tasty, healthy, and carbon-conscious.
Recipe: Gazpacho Prep Time: ~20 min. Cook Time: Varies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups tomato or vegetable juice
1 cup seeded finely chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped green, yellow, or red bell peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (green, red, any kind really)
1/2 cup of any other vegetables in your fridge (I have tossed in anything that I need to use up.)
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Assembly: Combine all in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight (I never make it that long). Serve cold.
Note: this recipe is great for using up veggies in the fridge. You can adjust the veggies to your own preference.
About the Chef: Beth Hollander
Q: In what ways do you try to incorporate sustainable habits into your lifestyle?
A: I am trying to be better about food waste. I have taken up composting but I am trying to cook more from scratch and use up the food in my refrigerator with out having to throw it out. I am using less red meat when cooking for my family and trying to buy ethically raised meat when it is available.
Q: What are some small choices readers can make to act sustainably?
A: I try to shop fresh and local when I can. I also think that cutting food waste is an important step in sustainability and climate change.
Our next recipe comes from Gay Purvis of Cary, NC. Gay is the mother of two college-aged boys, and loves tower gardening.
Recipe: Sweet Potato Salad Prep Time: ~30 min.
Dressing Ingredients:
3 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. grated ginger
3 tbsp. peanut butter or almond butter
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 cup basil or parsley, chopped fine
A pinch or two of crushed red pepper
Assembly: In blender or with a wire whisk, mix all ingredients. Salt to taste.
Salad Ingredients:
2 medium size sweet potatoes
3 celery stalks
1 red pepper, diced
1 orange pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
½ head of purple cabbage, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 bag of shelled edamame
1 cup sunflower seeds
Assembly: Peel, spiralize or coarsely chop your sweet potatoes (yams or butternut squash can also be used). Chop celery, and dice your peppers and carrots. Combine in a large bowl, adding edamame and sunflower seeds. Toss with dressing, or serve with dressing on the side.
About the Chef: Gay Purvis
Q: What is your favorite aspect of this recipe?
A: You cannot mess up this salad, if you are missing an ingredient or two or three, no worries, the original salad just calls for sweet potatoes and seaweed (which I have omitted).
Q: Do you have any special serving suggestions?
A: I always go way heavy on the ginger and garlic and I always double and triple the amounts to make a bigger salad. It usually tastes even better the second and third day.
Q: What sustainable eating habits do you practice, and why?
A: I am a vegetarian. I watched the documentary on the beef industry, “Cow-spiracy” and was sold on eliminating meat from my diet.
Thank you to all participants for your delicious recipes!
For anyone interested in submitting a recipe, take a look at competition rules in our earlier blog post, and submit recipes at go.unc.edu/recipe. Be sure to post your recipes and share your experience on social media! Tag us at @UNCEurope and @UNC_IE, and use #ClimateAction and #ActNow !
Stay tuned to our Twitter and Instagram for more recipes, sustainability posts, and more!
The Sustainable Recipe Challenge is an initiative co-sponsored by the UNC Center for European Studies, A Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, the UNC Institute for the Environment, and Carolina Cupboard.
This post was written by EURO Major Brett Harris
