Hi! I’m Naomi Frim-Abrams (‘23), and I love cooking and baking (and eating!).
(Me being super excited about some good-looking fresh kale)
Though quarantine definitely fueled my cooking/baking enthusiasm, I’ve been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. I eat a mostly vegetarian (and fully kosher) diet and am on a quest to convince my friends that dishes without meat don’t have to be boring! Here are a few of the yummy recipes I’ve whipped up:
Black sticky rice bowl with avocado, seaweed salad and a soft boiled egg
Linguini alfredo with spring vegetables
Orange poppy seed cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting
Tuna steak with seafood mushrooms, roasted potatoes, topped with caramelized onions, and a red wine pan sauce (fancy, right?)
This past year especially, I’ve really enjoyed what I call “leftover cooking,” or challenging myself to turn leftovers that are sitting in my fridge into entirely new dishes for me and my mom to enjoy. That container of takeout rice that’s slowly losing moisture each day? Add some coconut milk and warm spices, and it can become a luxurious rice pudding. Chili that’s been sitting in the freezer for more months than you can remember? Some mashed potatoes and vegetables can turn it into a hearty vegetarian shepherd’s pie.
The big question here is: why is rescuing leftovers important? Aside from being a fun way to develop creative cooking skills, we in America waste between 30-40% of our food supply which is way too much food waste! That means that not only the food itself is wasted, but the time, labor, and energy that went into growing that food is wasted as well, from the gas used to power tractors to the copious amounts of water needed for agriculture (especially meat and dairy products). Some of this is not on the consumer end; food spoils during transport, is damaged during processing, and gets thrown out by grocery stores if it is blemished. But we can significantly contribute to decreasing food waste by being intentional about what we buy and in what quantities.
And this is where Level Up Your Leftovers comes in. This series aims to be a fun way for readers to submit images and/or descriptions of their leftovers, and in return to receive a personalized recipe to utilize said leftovers! No fridge is too empty or full; what matters is that you can find new ways to use foods that otherwise would be thrown away.
Submitting your leftovers is incredibly easy and takes less than five minutes! Fill out this form, and the next post could feature a recipe designed for you! So, whether you want to reduce your food waste, learn new recipes with old ingredients, or just try and stump me (Naomi) due to whatever personal vendettas you may have (hopefully none!) submit to Level Up Your Leftovers! Looking forward to seeing your submissions.
-Naomi