Stir-Fry with Fennel, Kohlrabi, Carrot, Cucumber, and Leek

On Friday, I checked my “compost” box in my fridge. It had the green parts of one leek and stalks and greens of one fennel. In addition, I peeled two carrots, one kohlrabi and one cucumber for the kids’ salad for lunch. That left me with 300g still perfectly usable vegetable parts that I was determined to eat for lunch.

As I was in a hurry, I opted for this quick stir-fry. It really only takes less than 10 minutes to have this dish ready! If you want, you can serve some cooked rice with it. Then this portion would be enough for two.

For one portion you need:

• 300g stalks, stems, leaves, greens, or peels of organic, well-washed vegetables


• 1 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil


• 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed


• 2 Tbsp soy sauce


• 1 Tbsp sesame oil


• chili to taste


• a handful of nuts – I had pistachios, but would have used cashews if I’d had some :)


• fresh coriander

Chop the vegetables very small – especially the fennel. If left too big, they will be too hard to eat. Heat oil in a heavy pan and add vegetables. Fry some 3-4 minutes over a medium heat, then add chili and garlic, stir and fry 1-2 minutes more. Then add nuts, soy sauce, sesame oil and a bit of water (3-4 Tbsp), and let simmer 2 more minutes. Check salt – add if needed.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve!

My Root-to-Stalk Lasagne

Since January or so, I have made an effort to use all edible peels, stalks, leafs, greens, and so on, of all vegetables I buy. If not used immediately, I store them in the fridge, in a plastic box with a lid, and use them within the three following days.

In the beginning, this new habit wasn’t quite appreciated by other family members, though:

Once my husband game home from work quite hungry. I told him the kids were going to eat sausages with mash, but for the adults, there would be “THIS”, showing him that plastic box full of what looked like compost. “No WAY I’m going to eat THAT!! This a joke or what?” he cried out. Well, one hour later, he was happily eating this lasagne, claiming it was the best lasagne I had made so far. :)

For 8 generous portions you need:

•  18 lasagne sheets

Tomato sauce:

•  1 big onion


• 2-3 garlic cloves


• olive oil


• 800g canned (cherry) tomatoes


• 2 tsp sugar


• fresh herbs (I used rosemary, marjoram, sage, and basil)


• salt and pepper to taste

White sauce:

• 4 Tbsp butter


• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour


• 800ml whole milk


• salt and pepper to taste

Sautéd vegetables:

• 4 Tbsp olive oil


• 800g vegetable peels, stalks, stems, leaves, greens (I used mostly kohlrabi, carrot, and fennel) - organic and well washed


• 2 tsp Italian spice mixture - I used this one from Herbaria


• salt and pepper to taste

On top:

• 300g mozzarella, sliced


• 2-3 fresh tomatoes, thinly sliced


• 3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced


• 100g grated Parmesan cheese

Start with the tomato sauce. In a large pan, sauté onions with some olive oil. Then add garlic, stir, and add the canned tomatoes, a bit of water, sugar, salt, pepper, and herbs. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes - the longer, the better! Once in a while, check if more water is needed.

Then it’s time to prepare the vegetables. Chop them very small, especially harder stems and peels. Heat oil in a heavy pan and add the vegetables, first the ones that need more time to cook, then those that need less time. Sauté about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add a bit of water, the spice mixture, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender, or about 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the white sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Stir well and let cook 2-3 minutes, but don’t let the flour gain any colour. Then add warmed milk gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and let cook 1-2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Now, take your lasagne form. Assemble lasagne in layers as follows: tomato sauce, 9 lasagne sheets, white sauce, tomato sauce, sautéd vegetables, 9 lasagne sheets, white sauce, tomato sauce, sautéd vegetables, 9 lasagne sheets, tomato sauce, garlic slices, fresh tomato slices, mozzarella, parmesan.

Bake in a preheated oven until the lasagne is thoroughly cooked, cheese has melted and turned nicely brown. Enjoy with a green salad!

Think Like a Bunny, Eat Like a Bunny, or How to Reduce Food Waste by Using Veggies from Root to Stalk

It all started with my pet bunnies. When I gave them a carrot with the greens still attached, the bunnies always devoured the greens first. Only when the greens were all gone, they would start chewing the carrot itself.

So I thought, those greens must really taste good! Yet I kept throwing the greens away, or asking the farmer the cut them off.

Until I found Lisa Casali’s excellent book, Cuisiner mieux en jetant moins, where the Italian author tackles the problem of food waste and explains in detail which parts of the most common fruit and veggies can be used for cooking. And surprisingly enough, that includes – just about everything! One just needs an open mind and a bit of imagination to create delicious meals out of potato peels, carrot peels and greens, radish greens, orange, pear, and apple peels, and so on.

When you think of it, it actually doesn’t make any sense to first buy a product and then throw in some cases most of it away! It’s not good for your wallet, and it isn’t good for the environment, either.

So in the past months, I’ve developed a couple of new habits to reduce my food waste. For instance, I try to use up all I have in the fridge and cupboards before going grocery shopping (see my No Cost Food Week). But I’ve also started to put those carrot, potato, and orange peels, kohlrabi leaves, radish greens, and so on, into use. Just one example is the orange peel powder, needed to make Orange and White Chocolate Ice Cream.

During the following days, I’ll be posting some more of my best no-waste recipes!