Stop throwing away these vege off-cuts

Instead of throwing them out, try adding beetroot leaves to salads. Photo / iStock

Imagine you have just done your weekly grocery run and you have five bags brimming with delicious, high-quality food on your kitchen bench. Now take one of those bags and throw it directly into the rubbish. Of course, that's a senseless thing to do - but it's essentially what Americans are doing every day: tossing out somewhere between 19 and 25 percent of the food they purchase.

In New Zealand the average household wastes $560 a year on groceries that end up in the bin.

It's a hot topic that was brought to light in a presentation last week at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' annual conference in the US, where I had a chance to talk with speakers Andrew Shakman, an advocate against food waste and co-founder of the food technology company LeanPath, and registered dietitian Kim Kirchherr.

They pointed out that an estimated 40 percent of all food produced in the United States is wasted, and about half of that loss happens in the home. There are many ways to prevent this food waste, including being smarter about food storage, not overbuying perishables and not cooking enough for the whole neighborhood when you are feeding a family of four, for example.

The conversation got me thinking about all the produce home cooks typically discard as a matter of habit - the parts of the fruits and vegetables that are often thought of as scraps or trimmings but are actually culinary stars in their own right. Here are some of my favorites and how to use them. In doing so, you can take a step toward enjoying more, and trashing less, of the food you buy.

Celery leaves

Celery leaves are rich in fibre and calcium. Photo / iStock

Until fairly recently, the first thing I did when prepping celery was hack off the top inch or so of the bunch and discard the leafy ends. That was until I discovered how incredibly flavorful and tender the leaves are. Now I wouldn't consider using celery in a salad or soup without including them. The leaves have even more celery flavor than the stalks, and they are rich in fiber and calcium. Just toss them into a salad like you would any other leaves, or use them more like you would an herb in soups and stews, stirred in and cooked, or as a garnish.

3 ways with celery leaves from Bite.co.nz

1. Dry them to make celery salt.
2. Try them in Geoff Scott's Mediterranean fig and lentil salad.
3. Or in Aaron Brunet's light and fresh Yellow and green soup. "Celery leaves often get thrown away but they're packed with flavour - the trick is not to use too many," Aaron says.

Apple peels

Keeping the skins on spares you a prep step. Photo / iStock

Most recipes that involve cooking apples, whether desserts, pancakes or pork dishes, call for peeling the fruit first. But keeping the skins on not only spares you a prep step, it gives a welcomed rustic texture to the dish and provides a lot more nutrition. Two-thirds of the apple's fiber is in the peel, as is most of the fruit's health-protective antioxidant quercetin. The same goes for potatoes, by the way: 20 percent of a potato's nutrients are in its skin.

Peel on apple cake from Bite.co.nz

Make an apple cake like this one with currants, hazelnuts and lemon icing. It uses granny smith's - sliced, but there's no need to peel.

Broccoli stalks

Try shredding the stalks to use raw in slaws and salads. Photo / iStock

If you typically just use the broccoli florets and throw away the stalks, you are missing out. The stalks may have a tough exterior, but inside they are tender and delectable. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the outermost layer, then slice and steam, saute or stir-fry them right along with the florets. You can also shred them for use raw in slaws and salads, or chop them and add to a vegetable soup.

Add to punch or a stir-fry with recipes from Bite.co.nz

Broccoli stems:

This broccoli, ginger and pineapple punch is nutrient rich and uses just the broccoli stems (save the heads for dinner).

Miso orange stir-fry:

Aaron Brunet includes the stems in this tasty midweek meal. "Peeling the broccoli stalks removes the tough outer layer, turning them into my favourite part of the plant - sweet and juicy."

Citrus rind

Try crystallised citrus peel in cakes and muffins. Photo / iStock

Next time you use fresh lemon, lime or orange juice in a recipe, zest the fruit first, either with a fine grater or, to get wide strips of zest, a vegetable peeler. The zest imparts an extra layer of citrus flavor to all kinds of dishes, plus it is rich in vitamin C. Add finely grated zest to salad dressings, marinades and sauces for chicken or fish. Put a couple of strips of zest in a pot of stew, soup or a pudding to simmer when you want a gentle hint of citrus without acidity that juice gives.

When zesting citrus, be sure to wash the fruit well first and only grate the outer-most layer, because the white pithy part tastes bitter. Make good use of any extra peel by running it through the garbage disposal as a natural deodorizer.

Tips from Bite.co.nz

Crystallise your citrus peel to use in cakes and muffins or as a decoration on top of an iced cake. Store in an airtight container. Here's how to do it.

Make a real egg custard and add a little orange peel to give it zing.

Beetroot leaves

Beetroot greens are packed with nutrients: vitamin A, potassium and minerals. Photo / iStock

Next time you buy a bunch of beetroot, look for one with plenty of greens on it, because not only are they edible, they are incredible. Like the rest of the leafy-green family, beetroot greens are packed with nutrients - vitamin A, potassium, minerals and more - and are delicious sauteed in olive oil with some minced garlic, a splash of citrus juice (plus zest!) or vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cooked beetroot greens are especially delicious tossed with roasted sliced beetroot because the sweetness of the root balances the pleasant bitterness of the leaves. If they are very tender young leaves they are also delicious eaten raw in salads.

Two great salads from Bite.co.nz

1.Warm quinoa salad with cumin roast beetroot and a creamy mint dressing.
2.Beetroot, almond and feta salad.