4 Recipes to help reduce food waste this Earth Day

Waste not, want not

Earth Day is this Sunday and we're all trying to be a bit more eco-friendly. One good way to do so? Reduce your food waste! Instead of tossing out almost stale food, make better use of your groceries and try out some experimental recipes, courtesy of Omega Juicers and Excalibur Dehydrators!

Carrot apple juice

How annoying is it when you have to toss out yummy fruits and veggies? Stop throwing out your money and your groceries and try turning your almost stale fruits and veggies into a yummy juice.

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sized carrots
• 2 medium apples

Directions:

1. Press ingredients through a juicer.
2. Stir to mix the flavors.
3. Serve, and enjoy!

Carrot apple muffins

Ready to toss your leftover carrot and apple pulps? Don't! Bake some delicious muffins instead!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 5 medium shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 Granny Smith apples peeled and shredded
• *For “shredded” ingredients, use the pulp from the juicer!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and oil 18 (1/2-cup) muffin cups (or you can use paper muffin liners).
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and whisk in sugar.
3. Coarsely chop the pecans.
4. Add carrot pulp and pecans to flour mixture with raisins and toss well.
5. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla.
6. Stir apple pulp into egg mixture and add to flour mixture, stirring until batter is combined well.
7. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them 3/4 of the way full.
8. Bake in the middle of the oven until muffins are puffed and a tester comes out clean (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).
9. Cool muffins in cups on racks for five minutes before turning them out onto racks to cool completely.
10. Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature for five days.

Dehydrated tomatoes

Don't want to let your tomatoes go to waste? Dehydrate them!

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Dehydrator -- try the 5-tray Excalibur Dehydrator.

Directions:

1. Slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
2. Evenly space the slices on the trays of the dehydrator.
3. Set the dehydrator to 110 degrees F and dry for 15 hours.
4. When done, let the slices sit on a cookie sheet for a few hours.
5. Put in a glass jar and store in a dark dry place.
6. Serve at your convenience.

Want to spice up your dried tomatoes? When you're looking for something special, try this recipe for a quick and easy tomato and basil sauce:

Excalibur dried tomato and basil sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dried tomatoes, crumbled
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Sauté garlic in olive oil -- make sure you don't brown it!
2. Turn heat to low, add dried tomatoes and basil and stir to coat.
3. Immediately add water and stir.
4. Cover and steam two to three minutes.

More recipes

5 Delicious juice recipes for spring!
2 Healthy, delicious recipes for Wellness Week
3 Grilled cocktails from The Ritz-Carlton, Naples