Waste not, want not

I don’t think I’m the only person in the world who has this problem. I buy something good (tofu, feta, cottage cheese, ricotta…you get the picture) and use half of it right away. Then the carton moves from the front row of stuff on the refrigerator shelf to the second row and then ultimately gets pushed to the farthest row until I find it months later with a lovely fuzzy growth all over the innards reducing it to something unrecognizable. “Darn”, I say.”I forgot this was in here…what a waste of money” and into the trash can it goes. Clearly, this has got to stop.


I did a little research on the proverb “waste not, want not”. Found out its origins (first mentioned in 1772). Discovered just how much waste we generate in the USA (230 million tons per year..yowza!). Now I’m not hankering to start saving string and old newspapers. And I do a pretty good job of using those leftovers for dinner. But I can do a lot better at not throwing away food that has gone bad. So here’s my reinvention of the old proverb: “Think consciously about what you buy with a purpose and a plan for its use, with intention to use it to the fullest.” Will it follow that I won’t want anymore? That remains to be seen.

Laura brought home a large head of cauliflower from the farmer’s market the other day. She also scored some leeks, cucumbers, and a huge watermelon. Cauliflower is kinda like fish: great on the day I first have it but makes me queasy the day after. How many times have I steamed up a head of cauliflower only to have the leftovers rot in the fridge? So I knew if I was going to stick to my new philosophy I was going to have to be creative. Soup sounded like a good plan. I searched many recipes; some were thickened with a roux (yuck…too thick and starchy), most had heavy cream (ugh…kinda heavy). So I took the parts I liked from each recipe and came up with my own using the whole head of cauliflower and the leeks. Had some whole milk in the fridge but I don’t see why low fat couldn’t be used.

No rotting soup sitting on my refrigerator shelf…ate the last bowlful at lunch today. Am I left wanting? Just maybe some more soup.


Roasted Cauliflower Curry Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 small or 1 large leeks, white part only, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

Olive oil

1 large head cauliflower

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk

2-3 tsp curry powder, depending on taste

Salt and pepper to taste



Cut cauliflower into florets about the size of a walnut. Place on jelly roll pan. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbs olive oil and then toss to coat. Roast in a 450° oven about 30 min or until tender. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot (about 3 tsp) and add onion and leeks. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, till onions and leeks are softened, about 5 min. Add garlic; cook till fragrant about 2 more minutes. Add roasted cauliflower and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then turn heat down, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat and puree. This can be done by using an immersion blender right in the pot or pour into batches into a food processor until smooth. (Note: I’m not crazy about pureeing in a blender; it gets too gummy.) Add milk and curry powder to puree in pot and heat gently. Do not let the soup boil or it will curdle.

I think it'll work but then again it's only the first month

Carrots from my garden. Guess I didn't
thin them enough. Still, they're tasty.

I've done all the research. I've read all of Michael Pollan's books (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food, Food Rules...ok, I watched The Botany of Desire which is almost like reading the book). I've watched Food, Inc. and King Corn. I understand the insidious horrors of GMOs (damn you Monsanto!) and abhor the unnatural practice of feeding cattle grain. I know about the Dirty Dozen (top twelve foods to buy organic). But eating right, buying only grass fed beef (I know...make sure it's 100%), getting those organic eggs and soy milk is really expensive. Sure it was easy when we had two incomes. But I left my job as a school librarian to get back to the public library. Unfortunately nobody is hiring. An indefinite period of unemployment looms before me. Is it possible to eat with integrity on just one income? I'm willing to give it a try.

Here are the things I've got going for me: 1) I've been pinching pennies the last 6 months and I've got a little bit of savings; 2) Most of the time it's just the two of us (my husband Steve and me)...not sure if we could do this if the girls were still at home (Rebecca lives in Oakland; Laura is away at school); 3) We live on the Central Coast of California where there is a farmer's market every freakin day of the week; 4) We have our own veggie garden; 5) I love to cook and quite honestly have a knack for creating meals out of practically nothing.

I'm not a writer, though I like to write. I don't have a fancy camera and no food stylist so what you see is basically right from my kitchen or my yard. This blog is going to be about recipes, books, information I've discovered while researching, my garden, musings and frustrations, and hopefully, a success story. I don't imagine that this will be a Julie/Julia Project (with me as Julie and Michael Pollan as Julia) though if someone wants to make a movie about my discoveries I wouldn't complain (I think Catherine Zeta Jones would be a good choice to play me; not too sure who who would play Pollan). If I'm the only one who ever reads this, that's ok by me. Writing helps me feel focused and productive...I can only crochet so many pillows.