Cooking with "leftovers" : the perfect anti-waste solution!

In vacations, we eat at the restaurant, recieve invitations to eat at friend's places, become best-friend with our BBQ... so, some foods suffers, desperately wait in the refrigerator, in the dark, hoping to end in a beautiful plate instead of the garbage... Okay, they don't have emotions! But still, it's not a reason to waste as well!

We suggest ideas of recipes to do with leftovers that earn all your attention!

What should we do with withered vegetable

In soups, potages, veloutés or gaspachos, hide vegetables which don't look so well. It's a good idea a night when you crave something more light or a simple appetizer. Even if we suggest these recipes, nothing prevents you to replace some of these vegetables with one's dying in the refrigerator.

• Green asparagus gaspacho perfect for warmer days
• Cucumbers, yogurt and feta cheese gaspacho
• Dairy free broccoli and leek creamy soup
• Red peppers potage
• Parniship and leeks potage
• An " empty-fridge " potage with vegetables that you have under the hand

No carves for soups? Did you think about a pizza with lefts of peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and leeks? We gives 13  pizza recipes to inspirer!

You have carrots left, cabbage and celery a bit soft? Simply do a guédille! With a bit of chicken, ham or even lobster you have a cool meal quickly made and perfect for a picnic or camping.

Want to use potatoes leftovers? Prepare a gratin dauphinois! It's delicious with any type of meats plate and can still be heaten well the next day.

A tips to refresh softened vegetables

Soak it into water with a bit of vinegar and about 2 teaspoons of sugar. If frozen, set in a bowl of salted cold water for an hour and it'll be refreshed. This method works well with potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

How to recuperates forgottens and softened fruits

If it's to shabby to make a good looking fruits salad out of it, do instead smoothies, crisps and jams. Once crushed or baked, no one will know how it looked like before.

• Croustade aux bleuets
• Croustade aux framboises
• Croustade aux pommes et aux fraises
• Ces 4 recettes de confitures
• Smoothies bananes, framboises et sirop d'érable
• Smoothies aux bleuets

Give a 2^nd life to chips, dried fruits and legumes 

With old chips, make breadcrumbs for your recipes, like this BBq chips breadcrumbs chicken.

With dried fruits, chocolate chips and cereal, make granola mixed with oat flakes and nuts; hides perfectly in cookies or other types of desserts.

Legumes can be transfromed into houmous and dip, or even vegetarian stew.

Bonus : how to know if these foods are still good

• Eggs : if the expiration date on the box indicates it's expire, don't trust it. Do this test : soak eggs in a bowl fille with water. If it floats, it means a bubble of air is inside, which means it's expire. If it stays a the bottom of the water, you can eat it without any problems.
• Yogurts : usually good up to 3 months after the expiration date if it's not opened.
• Honey : Always good! You could almost let it as a legacy for your childrens. If crystalized, simply warm it up to make it liquid again.
• Frozen fruits and vegetables : can eat it many months after the suggested expiration date.
• Cheese, sausages and ham : can be eaten until 2 weeks after the expiration date.
• Dry products and cannings : are good many years after the expiration date.
• Milk : if the container is closed, can be kept 22 days (between 1 and 4°C). If opened, the taste could start to deteriorate after 5 or 6 days. It's also possible to froze milk for 3 weeks. It doens't change it's nutritional value or the taste, but there will be icy pieces of crystals when thawed. Know that, the more fats milk has, the less it'll freeze well.