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Low Waste Food Challenge

This week, I did a 'Low Waste Food Challenge' with Coco.

We challenges each other every other day, to make a dish with as little waste as possible, and each made three different meals.


This challenge was so much fun, I saved a lot of food waste AND money and I got so much tips and inspiration form Coco!


Did you miss our recipes on Coco's TikTok and my Insta Stories?

No worries, I made a little recap! ;)


  1. Coco challenged me to make a low waste comfort food dish.

  2. I challenged Coco to make a low waste dish with rhubarb (as I have so much rhubarb left in my fridge, I could use the inspiration! :)).

  3. Coco challenged me to make a low waste dish with asparagus (it't to season to pee funny, falalalala, lala, la la ;)).

  4. I challenged Coco to make a low waste picnic (it's summer and I live next to a park! )

  5. Coco challenged me to make a low waste salad with dressing.

  6. I challenged Coco to make a low waste pizza (Pizza is always a good idea!)


(scroll down for the ingredients, recipes and 'waste')





DAY 1

Low waste comfort food: home made tortilla's with chili sin carne!


Chili sin carne is my absolute number one comfort food (shared place with 'frietjes van de frituur', Belgian fries! ;)).

It's super easy to make and with home made tortilla's it's even more delicious. I made 6 tortilla's, but that was actually not enough for me and my teenage son... ;p


This is what I used:

  • olive oil (in glass jar)

  • soaked red beans (from the bulk store)

  • soaked yellow peas (from the bulk store)

  • lentils (from the bulk store)

  • tomato passata (in glass jar)

  • white flour (in paper bag)

  • pepper and salt (from the bulk store)

  • cumin spices and (hot) chili spices (from the bulk store)

  • home made veggie broth (reused jar from the freezer)

  • fresh garlic, onion and chili (without packaging from the grocery store)


How to make the tortilla's? (6 pieces)

  • 1 cup flour

  • 1/3 cup water

  • 1 tbls olive oil

  • mix and make a dough

  • (add flower or water if needed)

  • separate in 6 pieces

  • rol out

  • bake for 30 seconds on each side

How to make the chili sin carne?

  • bake the onion, garlic and chili in some olive oil

  • add the red beans, yellow peas and lentils

  • add the tomato pasta and veggie broth

  • let it simmer for at least 20 minutes

  • add pepper, salt, cumin an hot chili spices






What about the 'waste'?

  • the peels and steels of the garlic, onion and chili go in a jar in the freezer, to make fresh veggie broth.

  • the glass jar from the pasta will be reused to store the left-over chili-sin-carne.

  • the seeds from the chili are dried on the windowsill and can be planted!

  • from my last meeting with Coco, I learned that you can rink the cooking water of beans, like a kind of tea. As it's to hot to drink warm tea for the moment, I made iced tea from the red beans and yellow peas cooking water, mixed with lemon juice and lots of ice cubes! delicious!








DAY 2

Low waste dish with rhubarb by @hellococoshin!


You can find Coco's rhubarb recipes on her TikTok!




DAY 3

Low waste dish with asparagus: asparagus pasta!


This' the season to pee funny! Falalalala lala lala! ;)


This is what I used:

  • two bundles of asparagus (no package, except for two elastic bands)

  • pasta (from the bulk store)

  • pepper, salt and chili spices (from the bul store)

  • olive oil (in glass jar)

  • fresh garlic and fresh tomato (without packaging, from the grocery store)

  • fresh parsley (from the plant on my windowsill)





How to make it?

  • cut the asparagus in half

  • boil the pasta (in unsalted water)

  • heat the garlic and the asparagus heads for a couple of minutes in olive oil in a baking pan.

  • add the garlic and asparagus to the boiled pasta.

  • add some fresh tomato and parsley (to make it more colorful :))

  • add a royal portion of olive oil, pepper, salt and chili








What about the 'waste'?

  • the peels and steels of the garlic, tomato and parsley are used to make veggie broth.

  • with the 'hard' half of the asparagus I made asparagus soup

  • the electric bands are being reused (I never buy new elastic bands).

  • the cooking water from the pasta is used to water the plants: apparently, pasta water is full of starch, which is rich in minerals and vitamins and very nutritious for plants.

  • sometimes, instead of giving it to the plants, I use the boiling water from the pasta to wash the dishes! The starch is a natural cleaning product and helps to dissolve dirt. Works like a charm!







DAY 4

Low waste picnic by @hellococoshin!


You can find Coco's picnic on her TikTok!



DAY 5

Low waste salad with dressing!


This is what I used:

  • a bundle of carrots with green (from the grocery store)

  • fresh garlic, chili and cucumber (without packaging from the grocery store)

  • tahini (from the bulk store)

  • pepper and salt (from the bulk store)

  • radicchio (from my plastic free Etepetete bio box)

  • 'saved' Brazil nuts (from SirPlus)






How to make the salad?

  • the carrots go with lots of garlic and lots of olive oil in the oven for about 20 minutes

  • to 'build' the salad, I start with a layer of radicchio leaves (or any other type of greens)

  • I added some slices of cucumber (made with the potato peeler)

  • the delicious smelling oven roasted carrots on top of the cucumber

  • and finish with a good portion of the green dressing!

How to make the green dressing?

  • use the green of the carrots (not the steels)

  • 3 cloves of garlic

  • 7 brazil nuts

  • juice of 1/2 lemon

  • lots of olive oil

  • mix everything together in the blender

  • that's it! Enjoy!









What about the 'waste'?