(and dinner and tea…)
Up to a third of global warming gases come from our food and food production. We need to eat to stay alive but by making some small changes in what we eat and how we prepare it can massively help fight climate change without sacrificing taste, nutrition and variety – whilst being healthy and saving you money. Here’s some ideas
1. Grow your own
Growing fresh, delicious food at home doesn’t need transport from source to market so cuts the greenhouse gases from transportation. Also food waste is reduced as you are less likely to let food spoil or be thrown out once you have worked hard to produce it and no packaging is needed! Better still, if you grow organically you reduce air and water pollution as herbicides and pesticides are not used.
You don’t need a garden or allotment either, you can use a bright windowsill to grow flavoursome herbs like basil, parsley and rosemary; microgreens (young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs) like cress, spinach and peas shoots grow quickly and are up to 20 times more nutritious than mature plants; and you can also grow spring onions in a jar of water from the roots of the bunches you buy.
Pea, pea sprout, mint and spring onion pasta sauce serves 4(uses your home grown window sill pea sprouts, spring onion and mint)
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook 250g peas (perhaps home grown or use frozen) until they are tender. Drain and set aside. In the same saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil add 3 medium spring onions, sliced, and a pinch of salt, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the peas, cover and cook until heated through. Stir in 30g unsalted butter (or dairy free spread). Remove from the heat and stir in 150g pea shoots until wilted. Stir in 25g chopped fresh mint leaves, season with salt and pepper and serve stirred into 350g cooked pasta (or gnocchi).
2. Waste not, want not
Globally, 25–30% of total food produced is lost or wasted, and food waste is estimated to contribute 8-10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter after China and the USA. Aim to use every part of your food source – meat (bones make a tasty stock), vegetables (peelings can be made into crunchy crisps) and fruit (recipe idea here). BOGOF offers often encourages us to buy more than we need so make sure you only buy what you can use before the ‘Use by’ date although there are many recipes for using up ripe and over ripe fruit.
Whole banana bread (uses over ripe bananas including the peel!)
Preheat oven to 180C. Wash 3 medium very ripe / over ripe bananas, pinch off the stem and hard end of each banana and discard. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf tin with olive oil. Purée the whole bananas (including skins!) in a food processor. In a medium bowl, mix120g whole wheat brown flour, 120 g plain white flour, 1 tsp baking powder; in a large bowl, whisk 2 large eggs and add the banana purée, 150g light brown sugar, 50ml maple syrup, 110ml olive oil, 50g yogurt, and 2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and blended. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and use a rubber spatula to combine. Add 75g walnuts and stir. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake until the bread is deeply brown and moist crumbs cling to a wooden toothpick when inserted in the centre (about 1 hour) Let the banana bread cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes then tip the bread out of the pan onto a wire rack to continue cooling.
3. Buying power
Where, when and how you buy food has significant potential to fight climate change. Locally produced food reduces greenhouse gases from transportation and buying ‘in season’ means less energy has been used in heated greenhouses. Buying food without packaging not only saves waste but also the energy used to produce it. Organically grown food saves on artificial pesticides and fertlisers which contribute towards climate change. Your local farm shop usually sells tasty locally produced food in season, often organic, with minimal packaging and many encourage you to fill your own containers.
Courgette lasagne serves 4 (uses up local seasonal glut of courgettes)
Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C. Put a pan of water on to boil, then cook 9 lasagne sheets for about 5 mins until softened, but not cooked through. Rinse in cold water, then drizzle with a little oil to stop them sticking together. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan, then fry one finely chopped red onion. After 3 mins, add 7 coarsely grated courgettes (about 700g) and 2 crushed garlic cloves and continue to fry until the courgette has softened and turned bright green. Stir in 170g ricotta and 30g grated cheddar, then season to taste. Heat 350g tomato passata in the microwave for 2 mins on High until hot. In a large baking dish, layer up the lasagne, starting with half the courgette mix, then pasta, then passata. Repeat, top with 70g ricotta in blobs, then scatter with 25g grated cheddar. Bake on the top shelf for about 10 mins until the pasta is tender and the cheese is golden.
4. Cook more sustainably
Cooking your meals with less energy – microwave, airfryer, slow cooker – saves you money, can enhance flavour and tenderness whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Leg of lamb in red wine, garlic and rosemaryserves 4 (uses minimal energy in a slow cooker)
Make small cuts all over one half leg of lamb (about 1kg), and press a slice of garlic (from two cloves sliced) and a small sprig of rosemary into the cuts. Season the lamb well all over and place in a slow cooker pot. Pour in 150ml red wine and 200ml lamb of chicken stock. Cook on low for 8-10 hrs until tender. When ready, transfer the lamb to a plate, cover tightly with foil and leave to rest for 30min. Meanwhile, to thicken the gravy; strain the liquid into a medium pan, mix 2 tbsp cornflour in a small bowl with 1tbsp of the liquid and return this mixture to the pan. Simmer over medium heat until thickened. Stir in 1 tsp red currant jelly and then adjust the seasoning to taste. Slice the lamb and serve with mashed potatoes, green vegetables and the gravy.
5. Increase plant based meals
Producing meat creates up to 40 x more greenhouse gases than plant based food. Tackling climate change doesn’t mean giving up meat completely but increasing the proportion of plant based meals you eat. Ready meals can be highly processed so why not create your own delicious plant based food from fresh fruit and veg, alongside canned veg and pulses.
Smoky aubergine and pepper tagine
serves 4
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Mix 2 aubergines (roughly chopped), 3 mixed peppers, red and yellow (cut into small chunks), 1 red onion roughly chopped, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp ground coriander, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 crushed garlic cloves and 1 tsp sea salt flakes in a large, deep roasting tin. Roast for 30-40 mins until the vegetables are just charring around the edges. Add 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 200ml vegetable stock and 1 700g jar haricot beans, mix well, then return to the oven for a further 30 mins to reduce the sauce. (You can batch cook larger quantities and freeze at this stage to save time and energy later). Taste and adjust the salt as needed. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, then scatter with chopped mint or coriander and a few flaked almonds before serving hot, with couscous or flatbreads on the side.
CASaV Leaflets
This page is also available as one of a series of CASaV Leaflets, so you can download a printable pdf here – double sided tri-fold leaflet or an editable version which you can make your own and use for your group – OpenOffice document.
Climate Action Stokesley and Villages 