Unless you were under a rock last week (and you might have been in terms of your access to news media/internet/power in general) Hurricane Sandy caused havoc throughout the United States. We knew things would be bad on the east coast, but I couldn't believe that the tail end of the storm caused so much damage here in Cleveland. We along with over 200,000 of our closest friends and neighbors in Cuyahoga County lost power for anywhere from one day to over a week.
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| Cuyahoga County was in the red, which means bad. |
In the aftermath of the storm, we lost a downspout and a few pieces of our fence, but the major loser was the refrigerator. Because we lost power for nearly two days most of the food was not safe. According to the USDA, a refrigerator can maintain its temperature for about 4 hours if it is not opened. Because we were without power for over 48 hours, I ended up pitching most everything.
As you might know, I hate wasting food. I try to be creative to use all the produce and other items in the fridge/pantry before they go bad, but I am by no means perfect. Tonight I made some red beans and rice (recipe to follow) but for Miscellaneous Monday wanted to highlight a product that helps reduce the amount of "stuff" you throw away and that gets left as a refrigerator orphan.
One of my major pet peeves is tomato paste. It sounds silly, but it's called for in lots of recipes, especially winter soups, stews and crock pot creations, and you never have to use more than 2 or 3 tablespoons. Even if you buy the smallest can you use about half and then end up throwing the rest away, or attempting to store in in the fridge where it inevitably becomes a petri dish.
Insert tomato paste in a tube!
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| Find it at your local grocery store in the dry goods aisle by the other tomato products. |
No seriously, its tomato paste in a tube that can be stored in your fridge after opening. It allows you to use only as much as you need and store the rest in an appropriate airtight container for future uses. I found it at my local supermarket It's great to have on hand for adding to recipes and for cutting down on the amount of waste.
As for the red beans and rice, this is by no means an authentic New Orleans dish, but it's great for an easy Monday night meal that's guaranteed for Tuesday leftovers.
What you'll need:
- 1 cup dry rice (white, brown doesn't matter)
- 1 14.5 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- one or two bell peppers chopped
- 3/4 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garclic, minced
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- chicken stock
- tabasco sauce to taste
- kosher salt
- fresh ground pepper
- *optional* chicken sausage or other sausage
Make the rice according to the directions. While the rice is cooking get started chopping the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Put some oil in a skillet and when it's hot, throw in the onion and cook it down, about 5-6 minutes. Then add the bell peppers and cook down about 3-4 minutes. Then add garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Next add in the tomato paste and chicken stock (use just enough chicken stock to cover the veggies and to combine with the tomato paste. Add in your spices, adjusting to your taste. Stir and incorporate then add in the beans. Add more chicken stock to help cook the beans and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
While the bean mixture is simmering, cook your sausage if you would like. When everything is complete, add the bean and veggie mixture to the rice and then add your sausage and enjoy! An easy Monday night meal!
What are your tips to reduce waste?
Looking forward to an exciting Election Tuesday!
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