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Recipes

Homemade Tahini Dreams

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🍌🍌Does anyone else purposefully leave bananas on the counter to over-ripen just so you can make banana bread at the end of the week? (Both hands raised.) Banana bread is an easy favorite to use up that spotty produce and justify a healthy-ish treat on a regular basis. Flax seed topping totally counts by the way.I love how experimental and forgiving this bread is. You can add in any variety of mix-ins and still turn out a delicious loaf. I opted for a no-sugar option today, just sweetened with bananas and a little maple syrup, and it was perfect! A nice nut butter spread to balance things out and you’re golden!Still testing out our recipe over here, we’ll have one up on the site soon!What else are you hoarding bruised bananas for?? #closedloopcooking

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Ginger Apple Quick Pickles 🍎
Y’all these apple quick pickles are FANTASTIC and completely unexpected. Had the chance to test these out @portlandfarmers today for a disco pickle demo with the folx @cookfirstpdx ✨ We had a brilliant time making quick pickles together and these were a crowd favorite. Super simple and sure to go as fast as you can make them! Not to mention a great way to use up bruised apples you might not otherwise eat. 👼
PS you can totally save your apple cores for apple scrap vinegar!Ginger Apple Quick Pickles
Ingredients: - Approx 2 apples, a tart variety works well here - 1 - 2 inch (knobs) of fresh ginger root - 1 tsp whole clovesPickling liquid
Ingredients: - 1 cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (or a combination) - 1 cups water - 1 tbsp kosher salt - 1 tbsp sugar (optional) 
To-do’s: 1. Wash and dry 1 quart size mason jar.  2. Combine pickling liquid ingredients into small pot and bring to a boil. Take off heat. 3. Chop apples into roughly ¼” inch slices. Roughly chop ginger into small pieces. Fill mason jar with apples, ginger, and cloves. Leave about an inch of room at the top of the jar. 4. Pour (hot) pickling liquid into jar and cover apples. Press down and add in a few more if space allows, keep about an inch of empty space at the top of the jar. 5. Cover and leave on counter to cool, 1 - 2 hours. Once cool, tighten lid and place in fridge. Great same day but flavor will improve over the next few days. Keeps up to a month.How do you quick pickle?? #closedloopcooking

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Very excited to bring @hippiemoji onto the team with a quarterly series on low waste habits! ✨🎉 Her first piece is up on closedloopcooking.com today! Moji will help us navigate steps for starting and maintaining sustainable lifestyle changes.
✨
“My first step when working with my clients, and my suggestion for you, is to start with a trash audit. Before you take your trash outside, take a look inside the bin. Notice each individual item and take a moment to think about how it ended up there. When I think back to when I started my low waste journey, I noticed I was throwing away a lot of food waste. All those carrot tops, apple cores, and lettuce bottoms were stinking up my trash bin and then being piled into an even stinkier landfill. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 20% of the waste in landfills is food waste. As it attempts to break down in the landfill, it generates methane which is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. These realizations led me to start diverting all my food waste from the landfill and composting it instead.” ✨
Let’s change what we’re finding in the bin! Do your own trash audit! What did you pull out?? #closedloopcooking

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Perfectly imperfect peppers. 🌶✨ One grumpy old man pepper and one store-ready conventional pepper. Both chop up exactly the same and taste identical. Sadly, you’re not as likely to see this old man at your typical grocery store as it doesn’t meet produce beauty standards. Thankfully your local farmer’s market does not discriminate against free-free peppers! These beauties are from @andreabemis of Tumbleweed Farm here in Oregon and are both going to good use. Thank you @thtwhtkatiesaid for gifting me your extra produce! 😘💚 What ugly produce are you eating? #closedloopcooking

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Red onion quick pickles 🔥
Quick pickles are an easy, ingenious way to get vinegared items into your mouth as soon as possible. An awesome beginner project for anyone interested in the acidic side of life and a versatile condiment that you can and should eat before most social interactions. 
Get creative with your aromatic add-ins here. Maybe dice up a little sad ginger or forgotten garlic or throw in some herbaceous stems. This is a great recipe to use up those leftover aromatics you were definitely sure you would use when you bought them. Toss em in a quick pickle!INGREDIENTS
* 1 red onion
* 1 serrano pepper or other aromatics (ginger, garlic, herbs or herb stems)
* ½ cup white vinegar
* ½ cup apple cider vinegar (or sub more white vinegar)
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 1 tbsp kosher saltTO-DO’S
* Slice onion and pepper / aromatics thinly. Clean and dry a glass jar or similar container (with a lid.) Place onion and pepper / aromatics into container with pepper / aromatics evenly distributed (ish.)
* Mix vinegars, sugar, and salt in bowl and stir together until dissolved.
* Carefully pour vinegar mixture over onions and pepper / aromatics. Use a fork to press vegetables down and try to submerge completely.
* Loosely cover container with lid and let sit on the counter for at least 1 – 2 hours before enjoying. The longer you can let the onions sit the more flavor they will take on. This container can rest on the counter overnight before going into the fridge as well. Make sure to tighten the lid when putting away.
* Add to salads, bowls, stir fries, sandwiches, and more! These keep well in the fridge for about 3 months.Did you try this recipe out? How quickly did you pickle? #closedloopcooking

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A leafy green PSA! 💚You can absolutely eat your radish, turnip, beet, + kohlrabi greens and stems. They’re tender enough to just eat raw, mixed in with a salad, or thrown in a quick stir fry! Incredibly versatile and a great way to use up all of your produce. Don’t let these delicious baby greens go to waste people, fulfil your civic duty.What do you eat your radish greens with?? 🌱 #closedloopcooking

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Baby’s first KIMCHI! 🌶
Had the pleasure of attending a kimchi workshop with @boochymomma the fermentation chef at Tartine, during the @rouxportland food conference this weekend. I’ve waded into the waters of fermentation, and know that this will continue to be a big part of Closed Loop Cooking moving forward, so I was excited to get some hands-on experience with one of THE fermentation experts. Changing the nature of your produce can feel overwhelming, I’m always triple checking to make sure I followed the steps correctly. Fermentation is a sort of nebulous art form but the more I dive in, the more I realize what a great outlet for all of our ends, stems, and scraps!A counter fermentation is a perfect way to repurpose otherwise wasted produce odds + ends. This kimchi made use of radish + kohlrabi greens, stems, and bulbs, pineapple + ginger pulp puree (leftover from juicing), chili flakes, salt, a bit of sugar, and loads of gochujang (spicy red chili paste!) Just imagine that salty, spicy smell! This will live on the counter for the next few weeks and I’ll keep y’all posted on how it turns out.
What all do you put in your kimchi?? I need all the add-ins! #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about those last frosted berries from summer as we roll into fall. I’m ready for it though, aren’t you? This vegan blackberry cheesecake is the perfect way to reminisce and use up any frozen fruits we have hanging around the freezer (as if!) and a delish almond pulp crust to repurpose your leftovers from DIY almond milk.https://closedloopcooking.com/creamy-blackberry-vegan-cheesecake-bars/What are you topping with frozen berries? #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about this sea salt crispy flatbread aka #packagefree matzo as an all-the-time snack. Single use cracker packaging be gone! We can DIY it now folks and it’s so easy! Perfect for dipping in our carrot top + wilty kale dip ✨🌱 What goes on your crispy flatbread?? #closedloopcooking
This beautiful vid made with @ole_richie 💕🙏

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* Dried rosemary * 🌱Hauled an armful of free rosemary home the other weekend, neighborhoods in Portland are just teeming with this fragrant herb. Rosemary is one of my favorites flavors, it pairs well with most savory dishes and elevates sweeter items like scones, crusts, and granola. I love using fresh herbs but as fall rolls around drying out rosemary to save for later use is a great option. I washed, dried, and laid out my individual branches on our kitchen table for about two weeks until the leaves were completely dried out. Very easy for those without a dehydrator! ✨What other herbs are you drying? #closedloopcooking

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Color crushin on these purple - orange carrot tops. Perfect ends for scrap stock. You can keep em in the freezer with all your other odd pieces until you have bough to make vegetable stock! 💫 #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about some last fruits of summer as we roll into September. I want to pack in as much ripe flavor as I can in these next two weeks. Here’s to canning, jamming, and pickling! 💫What are you storing for fall? #closedloopcooking

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Thinking about those last peaches of summer and what else I can get them into before fall comes around the corner. Mood tea towels in shop (with more designs on the way!) #closedloopcooking 📷 @byrainbowpink 💕

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Easy Baba Ganoush! 🍆 (is this appropriate now? 😅) We’ve got a plethora of rag-tag eggplants (aubergines) in the crisper I’ve been trying to use up. Normally I’m not a fan, but with so many eggplants around (CSA life) I had to think of something. My deep love of tahini inspired a super savory baba ganoush and let me tell ya, this dip is DIVINE! I’m a total convert!It’s a perfect spread for just about anything. We put it on tacos with homemade tortillas (stay tuned), eggs in the morning, flax seed crackers and crudite. I’m seriously impressed by this versatile eggplanty-goodness.  Ingredients: - 3 to 4 large globe eggplants (or several smaller, equivalent) - approx 3 tbsp olive oil - 1/4 c tahini (you can DIY!) - 2 cloves garlic - approx 1 tbsp salt - 1/2 tbsp chili powder - juice from 1 lemon  To-do’s: - Preheat oven to 400°. Slice eggplants in half, lengthwise. Brush on olive oil to cover cut side and place evenly on large baking sheet. Use a fork and poke 4 - 5 times into the outside of the eggplant. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until inside flesh is tender. - Once cooked, scoop out inside of eggplants and place into food processor. Add in tahini, garlic, salt, chili powder, and lemon juice. Puree until smooth. (Feel free to add more spice to taste.) - Enjoy! Best when warm, serve as dip with just about anything. Keeps in the fridge about 1 week. 
Give it a try and let us know what you think! #closedloopcooking

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Have you read @mwelbel ‘s piece on the plastic bag ban in NYC yet? Get on it! “As education around the impact of plastic becomes more widespread, individual choices are driving the movement forward alongside policy action. All it takes to avoid single-use plastic in NYC is some preparation in advance—tossing a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, and tote in your bag in the morning, keeping utensils and a cloth napkin at your desk.The most important things is to educate yourself and be a thoughtful consumer.” And if you’re wondering where to find reusable bags for yourself, check out our shop! We’ve got organic, unbleached cotton drawstring bags to help kick your plastic grocery store shopping habits. #closedloopcooking <3 📸: by the amazing @byrainbowpink (highly recommend for all your ecom photo needs 👼)

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Wide zucchini noodles! 💚At a loss for what to do with all of that extra summer squash? Are your crisper drawers also filled to the brim with a variety of color, pattern, and differently sized squash that definitely seemed like a great idea at the time? You’re not alone friend. One of my favorite ways to enjoy zucchini is as a package-free noodle options. I don’t own a spiralizer or anything fancy to make these with–a reliable vegetable peeler will totally do the trick! You can add your zucchini noods to just about anything in place of noodles. Look out for a fresh recipe in the next few days to get inspired!How do you use zucchini noodles?? #closedloopcooking

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Carrot Top Wilty Kale Dip! Big thanks to the amazing @ole_richie for our incredible new video series! You can find this one and more on the new closedloopcooking.com 💫More often than not carrot tops and limp greens wind up in the compost or landfill. It’s easy to toss these things when you don’t know how delicious they are together! (That is Very!) Most conventional grocery stores don’t even sell carrots with their greens attached–one might think you can’t even eat them. You most certainly can. Luckily your local farmer’s market and even some grocery stores have carrot tops. Just about any vendor will happily give you all the tops you could want for free. 
Ingredients
* 2 bunches of carrot tops (You can include stems, but chop them into smaller pieces. Add a few at a time to ensure they blend. You can compost any extra.)
* 4-5 kale leaves (These can be wilty! But chop them into smaller pieces. Add a few at a time to ensure they blend. You can compost any extra.)
* 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
* ½ cup olive oil
* 1 tbsp roasted garlic (or ½ tbsp raw)
* ½ tbsp kosher salt
* juice from 1/2 a lemonTo-Do’s
1. Wash and dry carrot tops and kale. Roughly chop into med size pieces.
2. Drop carrot tops into food processor with sunflower seeds, half of the olive oil, garlic, and salt. Pulse for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add in kale and remaining olive oil. Pulse food processor until smooth. Add lemon to taste (like loads of lemon!)
4. Enjoy! Keeps well in the fridge for about 1 – 1 ½ weeks. 
Did you try this out? Let us know! #closedloopcooking <3

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“Plastic bags are hallmarks of our collective laziness, our refusal to plan ahead and to consider consequences beyond our own immediate inconvenience.” H A R D T R U T H from @mayamoverman 🙌 So what is NYC doing about it?? If you haven’t read @mwelbel ‘s latest piece over on closedloopcooking.com get to reading people! She takes you on a deep dive of the statewide single-use plastic bag ban and it gets real. 💫

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