CLOSED-LOOP COOKING | Helping you avoid taking out the trash since 2018

Use-It-Up Roasted Buddha Bowl

February 18, 2019 by hawnuh lee 5 Comments

Y’all, I’m about colorful winter produce. Finding those bright root vegetables makes for an inspired meal. As the grey has covered Portland in a blanket of meh, it’s important to search for mood-lifting hues. I found some seasonal shades in the form of carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and purple cabbage in the bottom of my crisper drawer. Quell surprise! I love shopping by color but that somewhat spontaneous urge can leave me with produce I don’t know what to do with quite yet. Eventually, the guilt from an unused cabbage will spur me to action and everything gets chopped. This awesome Use-It-Up Roasted Buddha Bowl is full of delicious vegetables on the brink, hearty brown rice, and flavorful black beans from scratch. (Or sub these Tender Lovin’ Chickpeas! Or any bean to your liking, really. Go wild.)

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Roasted Broccoli Stalk Side with Toasted Hazelnuts + Lemon

February 3, 2019 by hawnuh lee Leave a Comment

I say roasted broccoli stalk “side” but I ate this entire pan for dinner and it was perfect. There’s no judgement here when broccoli is involved. It’s one of my favorite vegetables and I will never turn down an opportunity to make a meal out of this crunchy cruciferous. I’ve also hinted towards my love of hazelnuts in this parsnip + meyer lemon loaf cake with toasted hazelnuts (which if you haven’t tried I might question your dessert loaf choices.) This simple brocc recipe is just as full of PNW locally sourced, toasty hazelnuts! The nutty crunch is a lovely accent to the subtle root flavor. It’s an awesome dish on the side of any meal, great as a salad topper, or enjoyable just on it’s own.

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The Best Package-free Granola Bars

January 31, 2019 by hawnuh lee Leave a Comment

Y’all these might be the best snack I’ve ever made. Actually. When the babe bit into these I got a, “Wow.” True praise. Also they are in fact flippin delicious and I’ll be making them by the container-ful once a week. You know you’ve got a successful dish when it enters the weekly rotation. Woo! Move over basic granola, I’ve got you in travel ready form now. Package-free granola bars that you don’t have to feel guilty about! These bars are a zero-waste / low-impact adaptation of the 5 ingredient bars from Minimalist Baker but totally souped up, without using any parchment paper and lots of seedy goodness.

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Zero-Waste vs Low-Impact – What’s a Cooking Blog to do?

January 28, 2019 by hawnuh lee Leave a Comment

Closed-Loop Cooking is a platform to help folx reduce food waste and single use kitchen items. It’s important to create clear associations on this blog to help people find relevant resources and it’s my goal to help y’all starve the landfill. But I want to address the distinction between two prominent labels that often follow environmentally minded media. “Zero-waste” vs “Low-Impact.” What exactly is the difference between these two labels, why are they important, and what’s a cooking blog to do? Let’s dive into some definitions together so we can understand how to create long lasting changes in our consumption habits.

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Cabbage + Sweet Potato Lentil Soup

January 22, 2019 by hawnuh lee Leave a Comment

Soup is my winter life force. I consider it appropriate for every meal during the cold, dark months. It’s nourishing, warming, and all-purpose. You can literally make soup out of most anything you have on hand. I call this a “soup-er power” because I love lame jokes and brothy goodness. This Cabbage + Sweet Potato Lentil Soup is a perfect winter staple, using seasonal picks lurking in the bottom of the crisper drawer. The remains of some sweet savoy cabbage contrasted with dark kale greens are perfect with thin onion slices and hearty sweet potatoes. (I always keep the skins on, just wash well!)

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