Do you have a fridge full of veggies on their last leg?

We’ve all done it…

Gone to the grocery store or the farmers market and left with a ton of veggies we were super excited to eat. When we got home we put them in the fridge or on the counter…and there they sat…we forgot all about those wonderful veggies!

I don’t know about you but it pains me to toss veggies…even if they are looking a little sad!

So…what happens if you have a fridge full of veggies that are on their last leg?

Toss them? Oh hell no!

There is always a way to revive, find an alternative use for, or rework the veggies in your fridge!

Dark Leafy Greens & Herbs

Real talk…there are a couple of different reasons you’d have a shit ton of herbs…

You bought a ton of fresh herbs for that one dish you made & the rest just sat in the back of the fridge.

You have a Costco size bag of kale & can never finish it before it goes bad.

You have a thriving herb garden, love the way it smells, but have no idea what to do with them.

Fresh, Delicate Herbs

First, check out this post if you have herbs that are still okay! This will help with storage!

Okay, now for the floppy cilantro & parsley…

• Remove the parsley leaves from the stem, cilantro leaves can stay on the stem (as long as it’s not too thick).

• Add your greens into a powerful blender with olive oil, garlic, and spices like cilantro and paprika!

• Blend until it is a smooth sauce (you may have to add more oil until it comes together and it becomes homogenous).

• Finish this sauce with citrus juice, zest, and salt to taste!

This method works really well for all softer, more delicate greens and herbs like: basil, arugula, spinach, dill, mint and chives.

Hearty Herbs

Your woody herbs like: rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage…as long as they aren’t moldy and brown, they can be used to infuse oil!

If they look a little worse for wear…

• Heat oil in a pan before you sauté & add these heartier herbs in to infuse the oil right before you use it!

• Remove the herbs before you add the food you’re going to sauté.

Dark Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens & cabbages are best when not floppy! If your greens get to that state, don’t worry!

• Cut them, lay them out on a parchment lined sheet tray & freeze for 2-3 hours.

• When frozen, place in a freezer safe bag or container. Freezing individually like this will help to keep the greens from becoming a frozen glob.

Frozen greens can be used in: soups, stews, and to make sauces (like the way I suggested for herbs earlier). One of my favorite soups consists of beans, potatoes, and dark leafy greens—simple & delicious!

• Go straight to soups!

  • Toss sad and floppy dark leafy greens in at the very end of the cooking process!

  • I like to turn the heat off completely, add the greens & pop the lid on the pot, allowing the greens to steam. (This allows them to stay bright green, rather than soggy).

• Spanakopita or any dark leafy green pie!*

  • Blend up your green in a food processor.

  • Sauté with onions, garlic, and nutmeg.

*You can make this combination into a casserole, rustic pie, fancy pie or spanakopita!

Root Veggies!

From your winter squashes to sweet potatoes, parsnip, carrots, celery root…basically any difficult to cut root veg! These can all be treated in a similar fashion when they are getting a little sad.

I’ve never seed a winter squash like butternut, turban, kabocha or delicata go squishy…they last on the counter uncooked for a while!

If you do feel like your squash has been there a bit too long, all good! Here are some ways to use it:

The ol’ cut & roast!

• Cut the squash in half

• Remove the seeds

• Roast whole or diced

I prefer whole (because it’s faster & the end product is more versatile). If you choose to roast it whole be sure to put the cut-side down while roasting, this will allow the squash to steam from the inside, allowing for more even & faster cooking! You can roast any root vegetable this way, just drizzle with olive oil!

Lasagna It

• Peel or cut the skin off the raw squash

• Remove the seeds

• Slice the squash thinly using a mandoline

• Layer the squash with the lasagna layers of your choice (I like cooked ground turkey, ricotta, and pesto)

• Cover the baking dish & pop it in a 375°F oven for 45 min to an hour.

• Sprinkle cheese on top and finish under the broiler for a nice crust!

This can also be done with zucchini, carrots, parsnip or sweet potatoes!

Mash em’

• Use that perfectly roasted squash & mash it!

If your squash is hot, be sure to heat up your butter & milk before mixing. If your squash has cooled, use cold butter & milk. Just trust me on this one…oh and this works with all root veggies & cauliflower!

Creamy soup

• Use that perfectly roasted squash & add it to a pot with caramelized onions, dried sage and nutmeg.

• Add stock to thin it enough to blend it with an immersion blender or in your counter top blender.

To keep this soup vegetarian, drizzle oil while blending, it will add creaminess! Finish with a crunchy topping like nuts or croutons! Use this method for all root veggies!

Nightshades & Alliums

Those tomatoes & peppers in the bottom of your crisper drawer looking a little wrinkly? What about that eggplant you never used for eggplant parm?

How about the head of garlic and 3 lbs of onions in the pantry…starting to get funky?

Tomatoes

• Wrinkly ones you want to eat raw — fill a bowl up with cold water, add a couple of ice cubes and toss the wrinkled tomatoes into the bowl. Leave them in the fridge for at least an hour or up to two days. They will once again be plump and ready to be eaten raw! This also works for grapes and blueberries!

• Salsa — remove the seeds from the tomato, pulse it in the food processor with some herbs, and salt. Just need a bag of your favorite chips to enjoy!

• Tomato Sauce…or just…— I’m actually not a huge fan of making sauce from fresh tomatoes…they are never really sweet enough & typically end up making a bitter sauce. Instead, dice the tomatoes and add them to a stew like chili or an “everything but the kitchen sink” soup!

Peppers

• Peppers loosing their tight skin? Use the same method I talked about for tomatoes. I wouldn’t eat these peppers raw though…sauté them with onions to make fajitas, sausage and peppers, or a frittata!

• Don’t want to get the stove dirty?

  • Slice and roast your peppers on a sheet tray in the oven!

  • Roast your peppers whole — under the broiler in the oven, or if you have a gas stove you can use the flame!

    • Place the hot roasted peppers in a bowl & cover it with plastic wrap to allow them to steam.

    • Once cool enough to touch, peel and deseed the peppers.

    • Place the flesh of the pepper in a food processor with oil and your favorite spices.

    • Blend until it is a thick consistency — try a version of this called Romesco!

Eggplant

Eggplant looking a little wrinkly? Use the water trick mentioned above!

Eggplant can be roasted, sautéed or tossed into soup! (I wouldn’t freeze eggplant, its going to get really mushy, and won’t reheat well).

Regardless of how you choose to prepare the eggplant, I highly recommend salting it & layering it between paper towels for at least 20 min to remove the excess liquid.

If you are feeling adventurous & don’t want to cook your eggplant…you can always pickle it!

Onions (Leeks, Scallions) & Garlic

Onions are essential to making a good veggie stock!

• If you find you have onions on their way out, cut off the funky parts & then place the good pieces into a freezer bag.

• Keep them frozen & add to the bag when you have onion skin and ends after cutting. Save carrot peels & the roots and stalks of floppy celery too—these can all be used to make stock at home!

Garlic—garlic getting a little dry? squishy? sprouting?

• Remove the spouts before cooking!

• Cut off the weird squishy parts, brown or yellow spots & any other areas that look off.

• If its a bit dry, that’s fine, just means that you should use it quickly! With older garlic, I recommend using it to sauté or make a soup or stew.

Everything Else

Floppy?

Zucchini, Carrots, Green beans, Asparagus…you name it.

• Chop it and add it to a soup or stew

• Freeze it and use it later in a soup or stew or fried rice

Moldy?

It’s probably too late…but you can compost it!

Too much?

Pickle it, can it, ferment it, freeze it, cook it then freeze it, make a sauce…the possibilities are endless!