Dumpster Diving

Though it offends most people, I admit I have never had much passion for food and have often regarded eating as an interruption or a chore.  I derive a certain pleasure from foods that are nourishing and tasty, but not in the way that other people seem to do. Conversations about cooking, flavor and taste bore me severely.
 Where food is concerned, I am more interested in the ethics of production and how it can benefit my health – in that order.
This story is not about what to eat; there are no recipes attached and no dietetic advice here.
This is about dumpster-diving—obtaining food from the bin.
Beginning with the bins
Roughly a year ago I began dumpster-diving regularly. Needing to sustain my housemates and me, I wanted to gather as much stray food from bins of various supermarkets, bakeries, catering companies and restaurants.  I had a little car that was cheap to run and by spending between two and six hours per week driving to various bins and rifling through the trash of corporate food suppliers, I was able to feed the household of four hungry young men, usually with better or more food than we otherwise could have afforded. The bin always provided quality food and only on occasion was it a laborious process.
 
Becoming “Freegan”
At first the goal was to be completely “freegan,” to only consume food found in bins, not buying any food at all. Despite occasional small purchases, I soon discovered that this wasn’t difficult.  We lived in abundance, regularly eating steak, salmon, brie, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and bread – lots of bread.

I would also go to a certain chain of convenience store to find “dirty treats” like meat pies, salami sticks and Krispy Kreme donuts. I knew the stores were contractually obliged to discard excess donuts and pies daily and so took advantage of this.
I considered myself ‘basically freegan’, but if a situation presented itself where I was socially obliged to eat food that wasn’t from a bin, such as at a friend’s place or a restaurant, I was otherwise vegetarian for ethical reasons. I had very little concern for my own health and made my choices regarding food consumption mostly on the basis of environmental sustainability, animal welfare and taste.
The goal was to subvert as much waste as possible, to take as much as I could out of the bins, rather than putting so much in.
This exercise educated me on the level of wasted food in my local area and I found it shocking and deplorable, especially considering the people going hungry in other parts of the world.
 
Wasted Energy
After a while I stopped bothering to check the bins at the convenience store. I realized I could feed my entire household without having to subject ourselves to what I found in those bins. Pies and donuts didn’t make us feel good and I began to question the benefit of eating them.

 That was when the word ‘waste’ changed for me. It seemed more of a waste to put that ‘food’ in my body than to leave it out.
 Now I have become more prudent with how and where I dumpster-dive.

 I get most of my food from the bins of gourmet supermarkets and usually only take what will be beneficial to consume.
 I no longer have a car which has forced me to be more selective about what I am willing to carry home.
 I usually find fruit and vegetables, bread, sometimes cheese and if I’m lucky some rice or couscous, and generally buy nuts, legumes and olive oil, as well as other odd luxuries.

I think it would be better for the environment to buy nothing at all and live from the scraps of a wasteful society, but eating processed cakes and low-grade meat is not beneficial. It feels like those ‘foods’ do more harm than good to my body and brain.
 
Finding Balance
Now I try to balance low impact living with sensible consumerism.  To buy something is to support the production of it. I could quite easily live without buying any food at all but I choose to buy certain products.
The goal now is to dumpster-dive as much good food as possible and, when I can’t find nutrients in the bin, to buy foods that are ethically sourced and healthy.
I still believe eating ethically should be the most important stipulation of sourcing your food, but I have also learned that some things aren’t worth putting in my body.
 
This fantastic food story was contributed by Eat.co community member, Nat Kassel.  To follow more of his daring dumpster diving tales, visit his blog at www.natkassel.wordpress.com
 
Inspired by this story? Do you now dare to dive into bins seeking the discards of perfectly healthy and nutritional foods or other valued items?  Let us know your conquests and experiences in the comments below.  Remember, one man’s trash in another man’s treasure!

 

Sweet Carrot Hummus Dip

Chickpeas are your best friends. You can mix them with whatever comes to your mind and you will get a delicious and filling Hummus. Yes, it’s that simple. Just think about a dish you fancy and make it a Hummus. So did I yesterday, when my high school friend came over for lunch. I wanted to make a light snack, that we could just crunch on while talking about our life’s journeys. I remembered him preparing a “quick snack” during break one day.
I was sitting at his kitchen table trying hopelessly to finish the last chapter of a book for homework before class while he was busy cooking and talking about how good carrots are for the eyes . He would accurately cut them, fry them in a pan with butter and add some honey at the end. I would watch him patiently, thinking why we can’t just through some deep frozen pizza into the oven instead of trying to bring these tasteless vegetables alive (sorry, I was a teenager). But when I tried his caramelized carrots I suddenly felt the bliss of a good surprise.
Holy shit, that was some good stuff. He was the first person to inspire me to experiment with food, with good food (thank’s man!). Anyway, back to Hummus. I prepared a wonderful sweet carrot Hummus for his visit. A little healthy snack that shows my appreciation (and how good of a cook I am). He came, he ate and he loved it. When I told him about my inspiration we were right back down memory lane for a whole afternoon. Thank’s food!
Recipe: Sweet Carrot Hummus Dip


2  medium sized carrots

sugar or honey of your choice

2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups of chickpeas (soaked overnight and cooked or can)
1-2 tablespoons of tahini
2 garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons Juice of fresh lemon or lime
Cumin
Salt


Pepper

Cut carrots in any form (not too small not too big). In a pan let them fry in coconut oil for a few minutes until they get this golden color. That’s when you add some sugar or drizzle some honey to it. Wait another minute and stir carefully so it doesn’t burn. Your carrots should have a golden brownish crust on them. Now bring them to dance in your blender together with chickpeas and tahini and then slowly add the other ingredients. Don’t put everything at once, better taste yourself through the flavors to find a good balance. Once finished garnish with carrot sticks and have it with some yummy pita bread.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One Mean Stove

Zoning out within the kitchen, camera close by, while my pot of soaking legumes caught my eye. Click.

This is my contribution to Black and White Wednesday, week #49. This popular weekly culinary picture occasion turned into started out by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and is still going robust. As Susan talked about when she announced the occasion, black and white photographs truly do not get enough recognize. Well, when you see the array of innovative pix presented every week, you'll see that while shade pics are lovely and usually desired, especially with regards to culinary imagery, monochromatic snap shots may be simply as sensual, striking and creative, if now not extra so, depending at the photographer at the back of the lens. As Susan notes, "Black and white can dramatically impact your photographs and educate your eye to view highlights, shadows, and midtones in an entire new mild.."

Homemade Thai Red Curry Paste

The same standards that practice to creating your own spice blends at home similarly follow to homemade pastes, chutneys and sauces. Jarred and/or canned varieties to be had at your neighborhood marketplace lack the freshness and flare that you could without difficulty attain by means of making your own staples at home. Certainly every other advantage is you have got total manipulate over the amount and excellent of the components used. The system is less complicated than you may initially assume ? Specifically if your kitchen is stocked with a spice grinder or food processor ? And if saved in tightly sealed jars, spice blends will stay fresh for months on quit, even as maximum pastes, chutneys and sauces will keep well in the fridge for some weeks or longer.

As I am exploring Thai cooking in extra depth these days, it appears crucial that I have some sparkling curry pastes available as they are an vital addition to such a lot of Thai dishes. Many of the economic ready-made Thai curry pastes which you discover on grocery keep shelves contain fish sauce making them incorrect for vegetarians and vegans, so there may be a further incentive to make your own. In addition to Thai inexperienced curry paste, this crimson curry paste is now a frequent occupant on the second floor of my refrigerator. Used sparingly, your soups, sauces and curries will benefit from the lingering sensation of hot chilies, clean galangal or ginger, and lemongrass. Those with passionate palates may also workout much less restraint for a greater febrile experience.

More pastes you are are positive to experience from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Homemade Massaman Curry Paste

Homemade Thai Green Curry Paste

Red Chili and Vinegar Paste

Spicy Sun-Dried Tomato Paste

Indian-Style Spicy Cheese Scones

One of my specialties and favourite creations to tug from a steaming warm oven are simply quick breads including biscuits, scones, muffins and loaves. The aroma tantalizes the senses and stimulates the appetite. I constantly discover the transition from summer to fall alternatively tough to conform to and turning on the oven warms the feet. The most effective drawback is having the endurance to revel in one until it's far cool sufficient to consume. Generally talking, I decide on savory to candy. I am additionally a spice enthusiast so it regarded herbal for me to provide you with a highly spiced savory biscuit, or scone in case you decide upon.

Now, I don't want to begin a discussion at the confusion and controversy over what constitutes a scone as opposed to a biscuit, nor get into what a cracker, cookie or shortbread manner. A few years back Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe tried to make experience of this rather complex culinary depend. Really, it seems to depend upon the location of the sector you are living in or what you were brought as much as apprehend by using learning the word connected to object positioned in front of you. To make matters even greater perplexing, right here in North America the terms biscuit and scones are often used interchangeably, as are cracker and biscuit, and occasionally they're candy and now and again no longer.

But sufficient about that. Scone or biscuit, what without a doubt matters right here is this highly spiced baked pleasure that has simply enough heat to thrill highly spiced-minded palates but diffused enough for even the more timid among us. The cheese enables cool the masala blend and compliments the moist and flaky layered texture of the biscuit. Of route, if you are like me you'll be inclined to increase the amount of spice. The opportunities are countless ? A simple scone dough is a blank canvas to be explored and decorated.

Some tips: Much like cakes, over-mixing consequences in difficult biscuits or scones. You want quality flaky biscuits as a way to upward push. On the other hand, don't be terrified of the dough either. Biscuits which can be underworked may also flip out crumblier than you want and that would be ? Crummy! A combination of mild kneading and folding over the dough some times until clean is the important thing to a biscuit as a way to be wet, flaky, and rise to perfection. For softer biscuits, place the shaped dough closer collectively at the baking sheet. For crisper biscuits, place the rounds about an inch aside.

Of course, exercise makes perfect and certainly friends and family might not thoughts coming round to assess your check batches.

More highly spiced treats you could experience from Lisa's Kitchen:

Cayenne Peanut Butter Cookies

Spicy Parmesan Crackers

Jalapeno Cheddar Scones

On the top of the reading stack: Mortality by Christopher Hitchens

Audio Accompaniment: Robert Fripp

Thai Mushroom Soup with Coconut

I'm wild approximately mushrooms of any variety, dried or fresh, and that they seem on my dinner desk at least once every week in a few form or different. I adore them so much that I often cut up greater than I want for my dish due to the fact I cannot assist myself from nibbling on them for the duration of meal prep. The meaty texture of mushrooms provide limitless possibilities for cooks. They shine on their own pan fried with spices and seasonings, and are a vital a part of many soups and stews, salads, tapas, egg dishes, pasta and pizza, sauces and endless other dishes that grace our dining table.

There is a fall sit back inside the air that stimulates the yearning for a steaming bowl of nourishing soup. Of route, a mushroom soup got here to thoughts. Yet another excuse to consist of mushrooms at the menu, as if I clearly wished one. Tender chunks of mushrooms are combined with the delicate yet extraordinary taste of coconut milk. This elegant Thai soup is light, earthy however colourful at the same time due to the complimentary addition of Thai inexperienced curry paste, salty tamari, a touch of sweetness from the jaggery and the zing of clean lemon juice. This highly-priced layering of flavors is to be savored, one superb spoonful at a time.

Any aggregate of mushrooms will work quality for this recipe, so use what is without difficulty to be had. You may also use canned coconut milk, however here my favorite method of soaking dried coconut and draining it makes for an in particular attractive and aromatic broth that stimulates the palate. Use your own selfmade green curry paste if feasible as pre-prepared commercial sorts discovered at your neighborhood grocer faded in evaluation.

Other Thai dishes you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:

Thai Coconut Mango Salad

Simple Green Curry and Corn Soup

Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

Hot and Sour Thai Mushroom Soup with Nam Prik Pow

On the top of the reading stack: Betty Crocker Indian Home Cooking by Raghavan Iyer

Audio Accompaniment: light breeze outside my window

Eggplant Quinoa Bites with Pesto

Only lately have I found out the limitless possibilities of cooking with eggplant. I have simplest cooked with it on a few activities until currently, however now it is often on my grocery list as I explore this underrated and sadly unnoticed vegetable. Many people in my circle of friends suppose that eggplant is flavorless, bland and soggy, yet so many of the recipe books I personal contain severa recipes for eggplant and the local marketplace continually has an amazing supply handy all 12 months spherical. I wager that eggplant isn't always as unpopular as I at the beginning notion.

It all depends on how you put together this vegetable, though technically it's miles a fruit. True, it does not really have tons taste, however from a culinary factor of view it is a instead perfect vegetable to cook with as it absorbs seasonings and flavors properly. Eggplant would not preserve for long, so it's far satisfactory to buy it a day or so earlier than the use of it. Lightly salting the eggplant and letting it sit down for an hour or so before patting the slices dry allows dispose of a number of the moisture and bitterness. If you're including it to soups or stews, add close to the end of the cooking time. You don't want to peel the eggplant due to the fact the pores and skin is edible, but maximum chefs do until they need to bake it whole within the oven, or filled. In either case, the skin will no longer in all likelihood be consumed.

Bake it, steam it, fry it, roast or broil it, and you will come up with numerous serving thoughts. Eggplant is typically covered in stews, soups and casseroles, curries, salads, sandwiches and pasta dishes amongst different favorites appearing on the dinner desk. Often overlooked is that eggplant in reality does shine on its very own because the center piece of a tapas platter or as a standalone appetizer to stimulate the palate earlier than the primary path. To illustrate this declare, I came up with those little eggplant bites. I defy eggplant skeptics to forestall at best one.

The quinoa right here is mixed with a as a substitute unconventional pesto as part of the topping, but I discovered it labored perfectly, including a further layer of taste to the tapas.

In addition to serving as an appetizer, you can need to include them as part of a mild lunch or dinner, served with a gently dressed lentil or leafy green salad. A phrase of warning in case you are serving them as an appetizer previous to a complete path essential: these little nibblers are addictive, so resist the temptation to devour too many, or serve them well earlier earlier than the rest of your culinary efforts grace the dinner desk.

Other small bites from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you are positive to enjoy:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Olives

Olive Cheese Balls

Goat Cheese Olive Balls

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with Goat's Cheese and Sun-dried Tomatoes

On the top of the reading stack: Simply More Indian: More Sweet and Spicy Recipes from India, Pakistan and East Africa

Audio Accompaniment: Robert Rich