Produced but uneaten food occupies almost 1.4 billion hectares of land – roughly 30% of the world’s agricultural land area. (RTS) 80% of that is good, edible food that is thrown out.
Why would we throw out good food? Sometimes it “doesn’t look good,” and other times, we just don’t know how to prepare something healthy for us but unfamiliar. The latter is why we offer #MeatlessMonday and #WhyWasteFoodWednesday recipes: edible food should be eaten and not thrown away. Planning is the number one to consume all that we have available. Let’s plan to eat all of the produce in our refrigerators with creative and delicious recipes.
Vegan Is Just Another Option
We wanted to switch things up this week with a healthy recipe for a vegan hummus bowl. This dish is a bit lighter choice but has enough fiber and vitamins to keep you feeling full! Start your Monday off right with this fresh meal choice you can make in 3 easy steps!
Vegan hummus bowl with a fork
Ingredient List:
1/2 cup of baby greens
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 English cucumber, chopped
10 olives (Kalamata preferred)
1 cup hummus
2 pita bread slices
1 cup of grain (quinoa or rice)
Preparation:
To start, you will next make the first layer of your vegan hummus bowl. Fill your baby greens into a medium-size bowl to act as your base. Then add grains and hummus to the mix!
You can now garnish your salad. This next layer will consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and red onion. (You can even drop in some feta cheese to make things extra tasty!)
Lastly, add your finishing touch…pita bread! This should complete your bowl, making it ready to serve and enjoy.
It is essential to think about food waste. Every time you throw it out, ask yourself if it couldn’t be used in a way you are not familiar with. Follow this blog and share the recipes to open up other people to the idea of #StoppingFoodWaste. If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email us! Feel free to check out our other #meatlessmonday recipes on our blog if you haven’t already.
You can also make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger by helping us grow our food rescue operations: Donate
Today, an estimated one-third of all the food produced worldwide goes to waste. That’s equal to about 1.3 billion tons of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, seafood, and grains that either never leave the farm, get lost or spoiled during distribution, or are thrown away in hotels, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, or home kitchens. It could be enough calories to feed every undernourished person on the planet. (WWF)
But it isn’t just about wasted food. Food Waste causes climate change and since 43% of most of the edible food that is thrown into our landfills in the United States is from individual households….this is a problem that we can solve, together.
Food Waste = Climate Change
When we take that wilted lettuce or mushy strawberries out of the refrigerator and toss them into the trash, we are also throwing away all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package that food. Why? Well, when we toss that into the trash it ends up in a landfill and rots. That is what produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.
About 6%-8% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we stop wasting food. In the US alone, the production of lost or wasted food generates the equivalent of 32.6 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions. (WWF)
How Can A Recipe Help?
Meatless Monday was originally started to get people to stop eating so much meat. At Food Finders, we just want you to think about how to better use the food you purchase and since produce is the most common food type to get thrown out–we wanted to offer you a solution to preparing and planning meals, but also to use all the food in the fridge, even when it looks a bit mushy and strange.
Strawberries should not be washed until you eat them. But if you let them sit just a bit too long, they can still be chopped up and mixed with other foods for a delicious and nutritious meal. Today we want you to pull out those strawberries and make a meal out of them. Make it your responsibility to monitor the fridge contents and find ways to use everything–saving water, energy, and our beautiful planet!
Strawberry walnut salad in a bowl.
Try This Refreshing Strawberry Walnut Salad!
Strawberries, even when mushy, add a flavor and fragrance to a salad that makes it seem like a treat. Today our plant-based meal is also high in fiber, which makes it so filling for a lighter choice. Plus, for every strawberry you can save and eat, you will know that you are doing your part to prevent food waste.
Major Health Benefits
Nutrition is one of Food Finder’s important mission goals. When we feed people food, they nourish their bodies and minds. This delicious salad is filled with many health benefits. First, you have the base… baby spinach. As simple as it sounds, spinach can also be very nutritious as it is a good source of both vitamin A and vitamin C–and it is another food that often gets thrown out because it is left too long. Now you have your strawberries. Not only are they the perfect summer fruit to cool down with, but strawberries can also even help with inflammation. Lastly, you want to add a bit of crunch by adding walnuts. This Omega-3 plant source is much needed as it helps to boost your immune system and decrease the chance of heart disease. Mixing this all up you are preventing food waste, nourishing your body, and enjoying a delicious meal that will hopefully inspire many more!
Ingredient List
For the Salad:
10 oz bag baby spinach
1⁄3 cup of feta cheese
1 lb strawberries, sliced
¼ cup of walnuts, chopped
1 red onion, sliced
For the Dressing:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ tbsp. white wine vinegar
½ lemon, juiced
1 ½ tbsp. of honey
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
⅛ tsp. garlic powder
NOTE: This meal can be made in 15 minutes or less!
Directions
In a large bowl, fill with your baby spinach and other salad toppings. We suggest putting all your toppings in a separate bowl (away from the salad) and shake it to get a nice mix of everything. Then you can add it along with the dressing.
Next you will need to make the dressing for your salad. Whisk all your ingredients together in a small bowl or reusable container.
You can now pour your dressing on your salad to your own liking. If you’d like, you can also add a dash of pepper as a finishing touch.
And that’s it! Time to enjoy your meal.
If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email us! Feel free to check out our other #meatlessmonday recipes on our blog if you haven’t already.
Make a Choice
In addition to planning your meals and keeping food from ever going to the landfill, you can also make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger by helping us grow our food rescue operations:Donate
Spice up your summer with our #MeatlessMonday pick for this week…Cauliflower tacos! This meal is a great way to include a vegetable substitute instead of your usual fish taco. Plus, cauliflower is packed with Vitamin C, making it a healthy alternative!
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (also known as florets)
2-3 corn tortillas
PRO TIP: Using an air fryer is the best way to get your cauliflower to be the right amount of crispy! You can also garnish your tacos with yummy toppings like cilantro, lime, avocado, sriracha, and spicy mayo.
Cooking Directions:
First, combine all the ingredients for your saw in a medium-sized bowl. You will need to let them sit while prepping the other ingredients for your tacos.
You will need to mix the flour and spices next. Use a dash of salt and pepper to add some seasoning. Add in the almond milk and stir to combine. You want the mixture to be thick, but it should also be easy to dip the cauliflower into. (If needed, add more milk to secure texture.)
Then place Panko breadcrumbs in a small bowl. These will be used to add that crisp texture to your cauliflower. Dip the chopped cauliflower (or florets) into the milk mixture and toss it into Panko breadcrumbs. It should be coated nicely so it will fry the entire vegetable.
In batches, place coated cauliflower into an air fryer basket and spray with a cooking spray. Cook at 400° for 15 minutes, and check on them. About halfway through, you should flip and spray once more with cooking spray. (Note: If you use a convection oven, you will need to cook at a higher temperature and for longer. We recommend 425° for 20 minutes.)
Now you can add toppings if you like! For maximum flavor, you can combine mayonnaise and Sriracha (and maybe a hint of maple syrup) into a small bowl.
Time to assemble and enjoy! On a tortilla, place cooked cauliflower, avocado (optional), pickled slaw, and cilantro. You can top it with the Sriracha mayo and serve it with lime wedges for an added touch.
Makinze Gore Food Editor Makinze is currently Food Editor for Delish. (2021, November 1). You would never believe these Air Fryer cauliflower tacos are vegan. Delish. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a35787681/air-fryer-cauliflower-tacos-recipe/
If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays; please email us! Feel free to check out our other #meatlessmonday recipes on our blog if you haven’t already.
You can also make an impact in reducing food waste and hunger by helping us grow our food rescue operations: Donate.
This #MeatlessMonday, we’re sharing a pasta that’s both simple and yummy… Gnocchi! As it is low in cholesterol, Gnocchi is a great choice for your Monday meal. This pasta can be made in a variety of ways and is a great go-to dish for meal prepping. For our recipe, we will be repurposing stale bread as our base and adding butter with sage to give it a subtle flavor.
Plated Gnocchi with fork.
Ingredient List:
7 oz of stale bread
3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of salt
2/3 cup of water
1 egg
4 oz of butter
3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place your stale bread scraps in a covered bowl.
Add water to the bowl and leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, you will need to squeeze out any remaining excess water.
Mix in your other ingredients: flour, cheese, egg, salt and stir with fork until moist. Try to be careful not to overdo it or else it will be too sticky!
Cover the surface with flour and use it to mold the dough. You will need to shape dough into bitesize pieces (we recommend about 2 inches per piece). Then you can use a knife to cut each piece about 3/4 inch each.
Bring salt water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook ingredients for 4 minutes. Then you will need to drain the gnocchi after.
Melt butter and sage in a skillet and add gnocchi to the pan.
Place on medium heat and cook until gnocchi is slightly brown.
Serve and enjoy your dish!
Torrico, G., Wasiliev, A., & Rooney, D. (2019). The zero waste cookbook: 100 recipes for cooking without waste. Hardie Grant Books.
If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #meatlessmondays, please email us! Feel free to check out our other #meatlessmonday recipes on our blog if you haven’t already.
You can also make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger by helping us grow our food rescue operations: Donate
Most of us have probably eaten an orange for a quick snack and thrown away the peel without giving it much thought. But, this action contributes to a bigger problem… our growing landfill epidemic. Fun fact: A shocking 3.8 million tons of orange peels go to waste each year! That’s a huge amount of fruit peels making it to our landfills annually. So, how can we help? Try reusing your leftover citrus peels to make a fun snack! This #WhyWasteWednesday, check out our delicious candied orange peel recipe.
Unpeeled naval orange with peels left to be discarded.
For this recipe, you will need to first cut your orange peels strategically to make the most of the fruit scraps. Make about ¾ –1 inch cuts from the orange part of the peel to the green stem. You will need to continue doing so until the peel is completely used. While it might make things easier to use a vegetable peeler, you can also do so by just eye balling it!
Step 2: Boil water and add your peels.
Next, bring half a cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Once the water is boiled, add in the orange peels you’ve just cut! You will want to cook them for about 1 minute. (Try not to go over this time or else they will be too hard.) After doing so, drain water used and run cold water over the peels. Quick Tip: Repeat this step with fresh water for maximum flavor!
Person boiling water over a stove.
Step 3: Stir sugar and simmer over medium heat.
Woman pouring sugar.
Now it’s time to add the sugar! Stir in the amount needed and wait for it to dissolve. For this step, you will need to put another half cup of water into the saucepan. Make sure to stir until there are no remaining traces of sugar left in the pan. Simmer peels for about 15 minutes or until tender.
Step 4: Transfer to baking sheet and leave to cool.
Candied orange peels left to dry
Make sure to line a pan with parchment paper to place your peels on. You will want to use tongs (or a fork will do the trick) to transfer your peels to parchment paper. After doing so, leave to dry for about 1 hour.
Step 5: Melt chocolate and drizzle on peels.
Melted chocolate in bowl.
Lastly, add the finishing touch…chocolate! You will need melted chocolate for this next portion. Put chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and warm them for about 30 seconds. Then, you can drizzle the chocolate on your orange peels! You will need to leave them on the parchment paper to set, which should take about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
Hope you enjoyed this recipe! Be sure to let us know how your candied orange peels came out.
It’s summer time and this hot weather is not very kind to our avocados. If you have some avocados just sitting on the counter, they will get mushy! While it might be tempting to throw them away, we challenge you to reconsider. So much of our produce ends up in our landfills when it could have been repurposed into something else instead. This Wednesday, we are sharing a simple avocado smoothie recipe that you can make in 3 easy steps!
It’s important to know what state your avocados are in first! Cut them in half and check the inside of your avocado. If the inside appears to be turning brown, please know that it is still safe to be eat. Fun fact! The change in color is usually a sign of a chemical reaction happening and not of a spoiled avocado. Use a spoon to scoop out your avocado bits and put aside for the base of your smoothie.
NOTE: If there appears to be mold, remove by cutting off molded portions (if it can be salvaged). Avocados that are rancid smelling will be harmful to your body, so dispose immediately.
Stale avocado that is turning brown in color.
Step 2: Mix in key smoothie ingredients and lightly purée.
Blender with avocado bits and smoothie ingredients inside.
Now that you have a solid avocado to work with, you’ll want to gather all the ingredients needed to make a delicious smoothie!
This list includes: lime juice, chopped basil, sugar, and whole milk — plus avocados of course! Add a cup of ice and blend until smooth.
Step 3: Time to garnish and serve!
Healthy avocado smoothie
After the purée is finished, it is now time to garnish and serve!
We recommend chilling the glasses ahead of time as it makes the drink taste much cooler. This will be just perfect on a hot summer day! Now pour your smoothie into a glass and accent with basil as a finishing touch.
And that’s it, yay! You’ve just made a delicious smoothie in 3 simple steps!!
DID YOU KNOW? The average American household wastes approximately $1,600 each year in produce. This is enough to pay for more than an entire month’s worth of groceries for a family of four! 😱
Produce is a major food staple for many and yet it is often wasted.
Some reasons for this waste could be:
Poor storage system for produce, making items go bad faster
Allowing items to go bad without eating them, which often happens when we forget we have them
Not repurposing parts of a fruit or vegetable to make other dishes
Italian Crazy Sauce Recipe
For today’s #WhyWasteWednesday post, we want to give you an option to use a tomato that might be going bad soon and turn it into a delicious meal! With our fun recipe for Italian Crazy Sauce you can take those overripe tomatoes in your fridge and make a yummy sauce to dip your bread into! 🍅 🥖
INGREDIENTS LIST
💚 6-8 Overripe tomatoes
💚 1-2 cloves of garlic
💚 Basil powder, 3 to 6 fresh sprigs, or 1 Tablespoon basil pesto
💚 Oil of choice (e.g. olive oil)
💚 Pasta or Toasted bread for dipping
Now it’s time for preparation! Make sure to follow the steps below.
6 STEPS FORPREPARATION:
Remove any parts of the tomato that may be molded. Then chop into smaller pieces. Set aside. (If you need additional tomatoes you may add any other tomato including cherry tomatoes)
Heat oil in pot or pan on medium high. When oil is heated, add chopped garlic and sauté for 1 min.
Add tomatoes in next and stir them. Sauté the tomato mixture until hot then add basil and stir.
Pull pan off the burner to cool. Now in a blender, puree the mixture. (You can also use kitchen scissors to make the larger pieces smaller if you need to)
Leave in the pan until cooled completely. This will thicken and enhance the flavor of the tomato sauce into a rich taste. The longer it sits, the more flavorful it gets.
When pasta or toasted bread is ready, heat sauce and serve. Enjoy!
If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #WhyWasteFoodWednesday, please email mbereket@carly-bragg
If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate
It is no coincidence that #NationalTaxDay also happens to fall within National Volunteer Month!
That makes April the perfect time to consider volunteering with Food Finders. In addition to all the wonderful benefits of volunteering, both personally and globally, you may also have an additional incentive that tax day brings to light — volunteering may be tax-deductible.
Possible Benefits
Now don’t get too excited about your possible tax day saving idea! Although volunteers contribute their services without pay, they may be able to deduct certain out-of-pocket expenses on income tax returns within limits set by the tax laws. It is something worth noting today, on Tax Day, but it shouldn’t be the reason you consider doing such impactful work. The purpose of volunteering isn’t to get something in return, we just thought it wouldn’t hurt to look into receiving a tax deduction–if you qualify for it.
How do I know if volunteering may be tax-deductible?
While volunteering itself is not tax-deductible, any out-of-pocket expenses used for work may count as fair game for tax deductions.
Some examples of deductions noted by HR Block could include:
Specific uniform needed to safely perform work duties
Mileage expenses spent traveling in your own vehicle to a work site
Travel expenses for an airport, train, or taxi to far location for a charitable service
Please visit this link for a more detailed breakdown on what may count as a potential tax deduction for volunteer work.
We are definitely not tax experts at Food Finders, so we do suggest consulting a tax representative for more information to determine if may be eligible for any tax deduction on out-of-pocket expenses (e.g. mileage expenses incurred from volunteer work).
The Real Benefit: Being A Food Finders Rescue Hero
By volunteering with us here at Food Finders, you are making a huge impact in your community and this makes you a hero! Consider taking time to volunteer this month and post a picture of your food delivery with the #IAmAFoodResuceHero
Please visit the volunteer page on our website for step-by-step instructions on how to become a volunteer with Food Finders.
Food Finders is always looking for volunteers to help us rescue and deliver food that is needed to help feed food insecure communities. The tax idea is just a cherry on top of an already wonderful volunteering cake! Happy #TaxDay
On April 1st, to kick off the month, we launched our annual Birthday Campaign to help grow our food rescue operations. When you think about all that has happened over 33 years—one woman starting to collect food in her garage to now where we are rescuing food with refrigerated trucks then sorting and packing donated food in a square food warehouse—we are certain to meet all of our goals and make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger here in Southern California!
Growth in our 33rd year is a priority. Now more than ever we are working together to make a strong social impact that will affect future generations to come!
Growing Our Food Operations
As you may know, our mission here at Food Finders is to eliminate hunger and food waste through food rescue. This operation is led by our wonderful team of passionate and dedicated volunteers, donors, partner agencies, community members–and of course, an incredible group at our office and warehouse in Los Alamitos. This month we will be highlighting a different aspect of our operations each week and spotlighting key team members who run the operation.
What is the overall goal?
Our goal is to raise $75,000 towards our food rescue operations. While I know this may seem like a large amount of money, it is going to a good cause. In 2021, for example, we had a goal to raise $50,000 and our grand total was $62,454–a huge success that allowed us to rescue 15, 917, 982 Pounds of Food!!
2022 Business Types for food donations
Our focus for this year is on our operations.
In 2022, the State of California SB- 1383 went into effect. SB 1383’s statute requires businesses in certain categories to begin the repurposing of not less than 20% of edible food that they currently dispose of be recovered for human consumption.
We have a new Food Acquisitions Team to meet the demand: Tray Turner and Mark Eden, who are out meeting with our current Food Donors while also updating our processes and adding in new businesses each day.
In the month of January, our Food Acquisitions department started off with some amazing numbers:
Food Finders Rescued – 1,238,000 Pounds of Food – that is over 1 Million Meals that were delivered by our non-profit partners in January 2022. And in addition to rescuing and repurposing food (that normally would have ended up in a landfill), we also helped planet Earth –672,410 Pounds of CO2 diverted as well as 564,675,000 Gallons of water saved!
Inside the Food Finders Warehouse
Warehouse Sorting Bins
The Food Finders Warehouse is a busy place. On any given day, there will be volunteers sorting and packing bags or boxes while trucks are pulling up in the back to deliver pallets of food. Without our invaluable warehouse team, though, we would not be able to rescue as much food as we have in the past 33 years that Food Finders has been operating.
Cesar Herrera, our Warehouse Manager, runs the show where he is constantly moving and shifting around staple food items to our food programs. These items significantly increase depending on the time of day, week or year. Last week, we had Fox News Channel 11 visit us to talk about our work and relationship with the Kaiser Permanente Food Donors.
With your birthday donations last year, we were able to continue to grow as COVID was winding down, and this year we are on track to grow our team, update and purchase more food delivery trucks, and rescue more food as the demand from businesses rises in 2022.
In the digital age it is so easy to support and advocate for Food Finders.
The largest Social Media Network, Facebook, has a great personal fundraising tool that gives each one of us the power to make change by enlisting our family and friends in the fight against hunger, food waste and the resulting global problems from both.
Start A Personal Fundraiser
Facebook Fundraising
If you invited 10 friends to donate $10 to your “Fight Hunger” fundraiser, you would be providing 11,000 meals to help fight food insecurity in your community.
Visit this link for step by step instructions on how to set up a birthday fundraiser on Facebook.
Mobile Fundraising
For those of you who do not have a Facebook page, use your Mobile Phone!
Here is a link to the Food Finders Crowdfunding Page. The process is the same–set up your personal page and ask 10 friends to make a $10 (or more) donation to help us continue to rescue food and help to feed the communities in our neighborhood.
Celebrate Our 33 Years
Stay tuned during the entire month of April to learn about each part of our Food Rescue Operations. Start your fundraiser, or reach out to us to volunteer! Everything we do makes an impact.
Nicole Swayne is a Digital Marketing Intern at Food Finders. She is a student at Cal State Long Beach.
DID YOU KNOW: Fruit is one of the most wasted produce items because it is the fastest to ripen? 🤔
Preventing food from going to waste is one of the easiest and most powerful actions you can take to save money and help the planet Earth to flourish for generations to come!
In fact, the benefits of preventing food waste from ending up in our landfills are quite compelling:
Helps us save our money
Reduces our carbon footprints
Preserves energy and resources
Lowers the price of produce and other products made with fruits and vegetables
Creates opportunities for food security in low-income communities
So what can you do with some aging apples and a mushy strawberry or two?
Fruit Jam
For our #WhyWasteFoodWednesday post we want to share a quick recipe on how to repurpose parts of your fruit that are often easily discarded. With our recipe for a fresh fruit jam you can put those apple cores and strawberry tops to good use! 🍓 🍎
INGREDIENTS LIST
💚 6 Apples (Cores & Peels only)
💚 3 ½ oz Strawberry Tops
💚 1 cup of water
💚 ½ Lemon Juice
💚 1 cup Superfine Sugar (or Powdered Sugar can work as well)
Now it’s time for preparation! Make sure to follow the steps below.
5 STEPS FOR PREPARATION:
Step 1: Place ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Step 2: Simmer for 20-25 minutes on low heat and mix occasionally until the fruit is completely dissolved.
Step 3: Remove from heat when liquid thickens and scoop out any excess apple cores or strawberry tops.
Step 4: Pour jam into a jar and leave to close (without lid).
Step 5: Keep refrigerated and enjoy with your favorite bread for up to 2 weeks.
Now Enjoy!
If you have a recipe you would like to share with us for #WhyWasteFoodWednesday, please email mbereket@carly-bragg
If you would like to make an impact on reducing food waste and hunger help us grow our food rescue operations: Donate
Food Finders is a nonprofit 501c3 food rescue organization with a mission to rescue food, reduce hunger, and improve nutrition in the communities we serve.
Tax ID# 33-0412749
Recent Comments