For July’s No Waste Food Challenge, a food blogging challenge started by Kate from Turquoise Lemons in a bid to share recipes using up food that might otherwise have gone to waste, I challenged you all to dig deep into the frozen depths of your freezer, defrost what you found and to share your recipe creations. You did not disappoint, thank you! We have a fantastic selection of ‘freezer stash’ recipes here for your perusal, I hope you enjoy and are inspired by them. A great big thank you to you all who participated!
White Layer Cake by Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Kitchen
First, an entry from myself: I made this cake to celebrate Canada Day using six defrosted egg whites that have been hiding in the depths of my freezer for at least a year! Using egg whites instead of the whole egg makes for a lighter coloured cake, although this cake wasn’t as white as I was expecting it to be. The recipe still called for butter and I think the little bit of quality vanilla I used yellowed it somewhat as well. Still, it was a great cake for a Canada Day celebration!
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Smoked Haddock, Prawn & Spinach Tart by Jean from Baking in Franglais
Jean dug deep into her freezer and got creative with some broken pieces of haddock which had been in there far too long (she says), some frozen prawns, a half bag of spinach which looked like it had seen better days and some despised ready-grated Parmesan cheese brought back from a recent trip to France. Inspired by The Art of the Tart, a charity shop find, she came up with this fantastic dish which she describes as “absolutely delicious”.
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Wholemeal Savoury Swirls by Michelle from Utterly Scrummy Food for Families
Michelle has made these fantastic rolls using up leftover bolognese sauce she found lurking in the freezer. She says these savoury swirls would be fab in lunchboxes, taken on a picnic or even a savoury breakfast or brunch on the go. Her children thoroughly enjoyed them as an after school snack. I think they’re a very clever way to use up that little bit of bolognese which might not be enough to make a full family meal. Well done!
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Spinach, feta & Stilton tartlets (spanakopitakia) by Lucy at Supergoldenbakes
Lucy made (and superbly photographed, as usual!) these gorgeous little spanakopitakia out of an enormous bag of frozen spinach that was taking up a lot of freezer space! Lucy says Spanakopita (spinach pie) is a classic Greek recipe that is popular around the world and although her recipe veers from the traditional method by including Stilton cheese, it works really well.
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Chapatis and Malaysian Chicken Curry by Ai Lin Leow of Nomsies Kitchen
Ai Lin Leow is fairly new to the food blogging world (you should go check out her new food blog!) and for this challenge she shared her mouthwatering Malaysian chicken curry recipe which freezes very well. To go with the defrosted curry Ai Lin made some lovely looking chapati, Indian flatbreads which take no time at all to whip up.
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Mini Apple and Chocolate Eclairs by Caroline from Caroline Makes
Caroline uses up some frozen stewed apple to make these delectable little apple and chocolate eclairs from a recipe in a book she’d been eyeing up for some time. I love eclairs but I’ve never been brave enough to make my own. She says they are really easy to make, so I should maybe try! I certainly think these certainly look good enough to eat!
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Healthy Banana Bread by Joanna from Green Gourmet Giraffe
Joanna’s freezer (and mine too!) often contains frozen bananas and she says this recipe is a great way to use them up. Joanna uses rice bran oil, honey, treacle, almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts and wholemeal flour in her banana bread recipe, making it a healthier alternative to the common sugar-laden variety.
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Black Forest Baked Alaska by Laura at I’d Much Rather Bake Than…
Laura was an incredibly brave baker this month using up leftover ice cream (say what?!) to make a Black Forest Baked Alaska, an endeavour which actually has my mouth watering thinking about. Layers of rich chocolate cake flavoured with alcohol, cherry jam, strawberries, ice cream and meringue! Oh my goodness gracious me this sounds like a dessert fit for royalty!
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Mini Rhubarb Cheesecake Pots by Elizabeth from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
I got creative this month with a second entry to this challenge, using up some rhubarb compote and gingerbread house crumbs from the freezer, as well as some leftover ginger sugar from making some crystallised ginger back in February. These mini cheesecakes can be adapted to what you have on hand and they satisfy those late night cheesecake cravings in just over half an hour!
Johanna GGG
what a beautiful round up – so much goodness from the freezer – and so much creativity too