Blog: Every Bite Counts

You open the fridge and discover some leftover potatoes, half a pepper, a chunk of cheese, a piece of cooked chicken, and a tub of yogurt with just enough left to be annoying. It doesn’t look like anything.

But with a few helpful tips and a couple of hero recipes you can turn those leftovers into a dinner and earn your place as a Leftover Legend.

This year’s International Food Waste Action Week (March 9-13), celebrates Leftover Legends, people who don’t just save food, but turn it into something worth eating. And we know you’ve got what it takes.

The truth is you don’t need a perfect recipe or a culinary degree to be a leftover legend.  All you need are some hero recipes, a little confidence and some practice.  

Hero recipes are meals you can make without opening a cookbook. They’re flexible, forgiving, and designed to work with whatever’s in your fridge. Learned through repetition, they’re built on general frameworks rather than exact measurements, they welcome substitutions, and work across cultures. Once you learn them, you’re well on your way to being a Leftover Legend.

Hero recipes are quite common and include pancakes or fritters, soups, wraps, smoothies, egg dishes, pizza or flatbreads, salad bowls, curries, stir-fries, fried rice, pasta, casseroles and more! When you strip down precise recipes, you start to see the general framework underneath. Here are three hero recipes showing you the general framework.

Smoothies

Great for fruit, dairy, and greens.

• 1 cup liquid (dairy, dairy-alternative, juice)
• 1 cup fruit
• Splash of extras – yogurt, oats, nut butter, greens, seeds
• Flavouring – vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, etc.

Instruction:

Put them all in a blender starting with the liquid. Taste and adjust as you go.

Revitalizing Kale Smoothie

Soups

Great for fresh or cooked vegetables, meat, legumes, pasta, potatoes, rice and sauces.

• 4–6 cups liquid (broth, tomatoes, water, dairy, dairy alternatives)
• 1–2 cups aromatics (onion, garlic, leek, celery, ginger, spices)
• 2–3 cups vegetables (fresh or cooked)
• 1–2 cups protein (beans, lentils, meat (raw or cooked), tofu)
• 1–2 cups starch (potatoes, rice, pasta, grains)
• Seasoning

Instruction:

1. Sauté aromatics
2. Add vegetables and protein
3. Add liquid and starch
4. Simmer until tender
5. Taste and finish seasoning

If using pre-cooked or leftover ingredients, add them at the very end just to heat through. Choose your seasoning of choice and season lightly at the beginning and middle stages, saving the final seasoning until just before serving. 

How to Make Soup Without a Recipe

Frittatas

Great for eggs, dairy, cheese, meat, vegetables, dark greens, herbs.

• 1–2 cups veg
• ½–1 cup protein
• 6-8 eggs
• ¼–½ cup dairy or alternative
• ½ cup cheese (optional)
• Seasoning

Instruction:

1. Sauté fillings.
2. Mix eggs, milk seasoning, pour over filling. Top with cheese if using.
3. Cook on stovetop until edges set.
4. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10–15 minutes until centre is firm.

Fridge Harvest Frittata