The peel is just edible
The peeling those gigantic new onions for your soup, those ten cloves of garlic for the aioli, a pineapple, and that miserable but oh so delicious watermelon. All time-consuming tasks in the kitchen that we hope will one day have a trick invented for them. Hmm, I can't promise you that last one, but I do have a number of tricks to get everything out of your vegetables and fruit. Because what turns out? A lot of vegetable and fruit waste can actually be avoided by just eating it.
So from now on, you will get everything out of your vegetable drawer.
1. Peel of the cucumber
Did you know that you are probably throwing away the most nutritious part of the cucumber? The dark green peel contains a wealth of vitamin K, which is good for your blood clotting and your bones. So next time, wash that rascal extra well and process it with the peel in your salad.
2. Peel of the watermelon
The thick skin of that juicy melon is a source of vitamins. The peel contains citrulline, an amino acid that relaxes and widens your blood vessels and thus indirectly has a beneficial effect on your blood pressure. Now I understand that you don't want to bite into the thick peel right away; cut it into small pieces and eat those as a snack in between.
3. Stem of the cauliflower and broccoli
Do you also throw away the stem of the cauliflower and broccoli? What a waste, because you miss out on a lot of antioxidants. And not only that, the stem contains folic acid and vitamin A. Just blend it into your soup or grate it and mix it into your salad.
4. The greens of baby carrots
Do you buy your carrots at the organic market or go straight to the farmer? Then there is a good chance that your carrots are so fresh that the greens are still attached. Cut this foliage off the carrots and blend it together with some parmesan cheese and olive oil in a blender. You then have a delicious healthy pesto full of vitamin A or use it as a garnish on your cracker or healthy sandwich.
5. Onion skins
Yes, even the skin of an onion can be used. The brown hard outer layers don't exactly look like a delicacy, yet they contain a lot of quercetin, an antioxidant that keeps your blood pressure under control. Freeze the skins and use them next time in a vegetable broth.
6. Leaves of the cabbage
White cabbage, green cabbage, Chinese cabbage, or red cabbage: the chance that the outer leaves don't make it to the pot is quite large. Yet these are packed with vitamins A, B, and C. Chop them finely and incorporate them into an omelet, soup, or use them as stir-fry vegetables.
7. Citrus peels
Peeling an orange is such a hellish task that you would rather grab a bottle of fresh juice from the store. What a shame, because such an orange booster does a lot of good for your body. Those miserable white strings and skins, for example, are full of hesperidin, an anti-inflammatory substance. But that's not all; they also help lower your cholesterol.
