Shrink Your Cookprint

 

40 Ways to Shrink Your Cookprint

By Kate Heyhoe

Reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, and rethink how you cook, shop, and eat. Learn all about cookprints here.

To shrink > think:

• 1. Energy-efficient kitchen zones
• 2. Water conservation and reuse
• 3. Lower hot-water usage and temperature
• 4. Energy-Star appliances

• 5. Small appliances as fuel-savers
• 6. Electric teapots over cooktop boiling
• 7. Avoiding peak power hours
• 8. Unplugging appliances
• 9. Renewable energy sources
• 10. Lower-emission grilling
• 11. Nontoxic, biodegradable cleansers
• 12. Regular over antibiotic cleansers
• 13. Reusable cloth napkins
• 14. Recycled and recyclable products
• 15. Plants over animals
• 16. Non-CAFO products
• 17. Local
• 18. Organic
• 19. Seasonal
• 20. Sustainable
• 21. Energy-efficient ingredients
• 22. Weather-sensitive cooking
• 23. Cooktop before oven
• 24. Induction burners
• 25. Passive cooking over active fuel use
• 26. Skipping the preheat when possible
• 27. Toaster ovens
• 28. Convection cooking
• 29. Microwave cooking
• 30. Simultaneous baking
• 31. Multitasking boiling water
• 32. Fuel-efficient cookware
• 33. Nontoxic cookware
• 34. Farmers markets and direct from farms
• 35. Fewer grocery trips
• 36. Shelf-stable over frozen
• 37. Minimal packaging
• 38. Bulk-buying
• 39. Aseptic and glass over cans
• 40. Extending food storage
• 41. No food waste
• 42. Green-conscious grocery stores
• 43. Low-carbon restaurants

You’ll find more details about why each action works in Cooking Green, which is full of recipes, tips and strategies.

Vegetarian Cookbook Round-Up

 

Here is a selection of vegetarian cookbooks with sample recipes that have appeared recently on the Global Gourmet website.

 

• 100 Best Vegetarian Recipes
  • Baba Ghanoush
  • Frijoles
  • Szechuan Shredded Vegetables
         with Pressed Tofu

 

• V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking
  • Superior Spring Rolls
  • Colorful Black Thai Rice
  • Panko-Stuffed Portobello Caps

 

• Vegetarian Times Fast and Easy
  • Cheese Beignets
  • Edamame Succotash
  • Tempeh Triangles with Piccata Sauce

 

• The New Vegetarian Grill
  • Quick-Rise Pizza Dough
  • Grilled Chakchouka
  • Eggplant Steaks

 

Full List of Vegetarian Cookbooks

• Great Reasons To Go Vegetarian
• Vegetarian Classics Tips
• Tips For Busy Vegetarian Cooks
• Vegetarianism and the Original Mediteranean Diet

 

Loofah: Cleans Good, Tastes Great!

I used to buy these crazy looking squashes in Asian markets decades ago, long before I knew what they were. They’re long, deep green, with ridges all around the outside, and kind of spongy inside, so they sop up sauces readily and have a pleasant springy texture. I later realized these loofah squashes are the fresh versions of the loofah sponges used for bathing, and now for dishwashing and vegetable scrubbing.

Also known as luffa or luffah, the loofah is ecologically greener than natural sponges, which are harvested from the ocean and in some places, running scarce. They’re also more sustainable than cellulose sponges, which are manufactured from wood. I’ve seen loofah kitchen sponges in colorful shapes (red chile peppers, from Loofah-Art), and in natural straw color. They’re easy to grow, too, and some backyard gardeners split their loofah harvests between edible veggies and drying as sponges.

Cook up *Stir-Fried Luffah with Diced Shrimp and Garlic* and read details about loofah at Global Gourmet’s page on *Luffah Squash*.