Tag: food

By: Naomi Frim-Abrams ’23

Hello everyone, welcome back to the second installment of Level Up Your Leftovers, a series where I (Naomi) take your leftovers and turn them into a refreshed recipe! For this post, we have an anonymous submission: “I have tomatoes, bread, and yogurt, [and] I am looking for a savory snack/meal.” The post also graciously included some photos to show us what we’re working with:

This one was a bit of a challenge for me, as I don’t often work with almond milk yogurt, nor do I combine tomatoes and yogurt all that often. But after a bit of research, I think I’ve found a great and healthy meal that you can make with just a few extra ingredients! You can turn the tomatoes and yogurt into a creamy Israeli salad, and that bread looks perfect for a quick toasted garlic bread to eat on the side.

This recipe was adapted from Tori Avey and Food52.

Ingredients

Israeli Salad

• 1 package of grape tomatoes, diced
• 1 large cucumber, diced
• 1 bell pepper and/or 1 small onion, diced (optional)

Yogurt Dressing

• ½ cup yogurt (regular or non-dairy)
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, very finely minced or crushed
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste

Garlic Bread

• 1 loaf of bread, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• ⅓ cup olive oil or melted butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley or other herbs, to taste (optional)
• Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Preparation

For the salad and dressing: 

1. Combine all diced vegetables in a bowl. 
2. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients before pouring over the vegetables. Stir to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

For the garlic bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil or melted butter with the garlic, herbs, and spices. Stir to incorporate.
2. Lay out slices of bread on a baking sheet. Using a spoon or pastry brush, generously coat the tops of each slice with the garlic oil/butter mixture.
3. Place in the oven until the edges of the bread turn a deep golden brown, for around 5 minutes.
4. Take out of the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes, then enjoy with the Israeli salad!

Fun Facts

This recipe is incredibly simple, and quite delicious! A few fun facts about our star ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes can help prevent both strokes and cancer!
• Nut-based yogurt contains the same healthy bacteria as dairy-based yogurt, promoting gut health.
• Yogurt, nut-based or otherwise, is a great source of protein.
• A bit of an objective opinion, but eating bread definitely raises my happiness levels 🙂

Yogurt is a great protein option for those trying out vegetarianism – it is very nutrient-dense in relation to the amount of energy used to produce it and has a much lower impact compared to meat. Making a small swap like this is a great way to lower your carbon impact in the long term, and it’s healthy as well!

If you try this recipe, let us know over on Instagram or Facebook. If you want to try and stump me with your own batch of leftovers, send in a submission here! Your recipe could be the next one featured on the Tigers Go Green Blog.

Happy Cooking!

Naomi

By: Naomi Frim-Abrams ’23

Welcome to the inaugural post of Level Up Your Leftovers, a series where I (Naomi) take your leftovers and turn them into a refreshed recipe! 

First up, we have a submission from Lisa here at the Office of Sustainability. Lisa laments, “I have half a jalapeño left that I can’t figure out what to do with! We made tacos a few nights ago and didn’t use the whole thing. Would love some ideas otherwise, I can compost it :)” Well I have some good news, as I think I know a recipe that can ease your worries. It’s vegan/vegetarian friendly and is packed with hearty cauliflower!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH FRIED JALAPEÑOS

(adapted from IsabelEats)

_{Image Credits: Isabel Eats https://www.isabeleats.com/roasted-cauliflower-soup-with-fried-jalapenos/}

Serves: 4

Time: ~30 minutes

You will need:

• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 0-3 jalapenos, diced, with or without seeds (can substitute with other peppers/hot sauce if needed)
• One large onion, diced
• 2 heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 ½ cups milk of choice
• ½ tsp each: dried sage, cumin, smoked paprika*
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped + more for garnish (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Feta cheese, for garnish

*adjust seasonings as necessary

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced jalapenos and cook until brown and crispy, around 3-5 minutes. Transfer the cooked jalapenos to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the diced onion to the pot over medium and cook until the edges begin to be translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the cauliflower florets and saute until they turn brown. 
3. Stir in the garlic as well as all of the dried seasonings. Saute until fragrant, stirring frequently for about 1 minute.
4. Add the vegetable broth and milk of choice into the pot, as well as most of the fried jalapenos (reserve some for garnish). Cover with a lid and boil until cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Check the soup for seasoning, and add more if needed. Remove the bay leaf. Add in most of the fresh cilantro (reserve some for garnish) and hot sauce to taste. Using a regular or immersion blender, pulse until smooth.
6. Plate up the soup with feta cheese sprinkled on top as well as the reserved fried jalapenos and fresh cilantro. Eat with a crusty bread on the side and salad for an impressive meal.
7. Enjoy!

This recipe can be customized in terms of seasonings and spice levels. It can be made completely vegan with the omission of feta cheese.

Some fun facts about jalapenos:

• They were the first pepper to travel into space on the 1982 Space Shuttle Columbia
• They are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain copper, magnesium, vitamins A, E, and K, folate, manganese, fiber, potassium, and iron.
• Surprisingly, a typical jalapeño pepper packs more vitamin C than an orange!

Incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is a great step towards reducing your carbon footprint. According to this Economist article, just going vegetarian could cut your food-related emissions by 30%! It’s the small steps that count, and dietary changes can make a big difference in crafting a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

If you try this recipe, let us know over on Instagram or Facebook. If you want to try and stump me with your own batch of leftovers, send in a submission here! Your recipe could be the next one featured on the Tigers Go Green Blog.

Happy Cooking!

Naomi