Don’t send those potato peels to the trash bin.

Turn them into chips!

You can make this recipe with the peels from just two potatoes. Or, for a large lot, freeze the peels until you’re ready to defrost and bake.

Sweet potato peels work, too, as do carrot and other root vegetable peels.

RECIPE: POTATO PEEL CHIPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

2. TOSS the potatoes with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake until crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. SEASON with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with garnishes and serve immediately.
 
 
MORE WAYS TO USE KITCHEN SCRAPS

Here’s more inspiration from Cooktop Cove on how to re-use what you’d normally throw away:

 
Ideas From Life Hacker | Australia include

 
Plus

[2] Sweet potato peel chips (photo courtesy What’s Gaby Cooking).

[3] Potato and carrot peel chips (photo courtesy Life Hacker | Australia.

[2] The simple solution to messy, drippy honey: a honey swirler (photo Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[3] Yogurt and smoothie with honey (photo courtesy National Honey Board).

[3] Pan-seared salmon with honey glaze (photo courtesy National Honey Board).

[4] Roast duck with honey glaze (photo courtesy National Honey Board).

September is National Honey Month. Whether used straight as a sweetener in a cup of tea, or as an ingredient in endless recipes, honey is a hero: an all natural energy booster.

Look for raw or unrefined honey, in varietals: acacia, blueberry, clover, lavender, orange blossom, sage, wildflower—there are hundreds of different varieties around the world.

We avoid generic honey, the type simply labeled “honey” at the supermarket. It is a blend of cheap honeys, often from countries like Argentina and China that specialize in providing cheap honey.

These honeys provide sweetness, but that’s it: none of the nuances of flavor from the different flowers (a varietal honey is one particular variety of flower).

Another reason to buy varietal honey: Honey is one of the most adulterated foods on Earth—many companies mix it with cheaper sweeteners like sugar and corn syrup to cut costs. Look for “pure honey” on the ingredient label—and skip anything that lists “honey blend” as an ingredient.

Use different types to change the taste in recipes. In general, the darker the honey, the stronger the taste and the higher the antioxidant content. If you can find a honey sampler with one- or two-ounce jars, grab it. Then spend some time with a spoon, tasting the honey from the jars and noting the differences.

There are many recipes that use honey, from Honey Glazed Chicken and Honey Glazed Carrots to breakfast breads. You can substitute honey for table sugar and brown sugar in any recipe.

But there’s no cooking required for these tasty uses for honey:
 
BEVERAGES WITH HONEY

Use instead of sugar or simple syrup in:

 
 
BREAKFAST FOODS WITH HONEY

 
 
DESSERTS WITH HONEY

 
 
SPREADS, SAUCES & DIPS WITH HONEY

Start with the lower amount of honey, and add more to taste.

OTHER FAVORITE USES FOR HONEY

 
 
HONEY NUTRITION

Honey is a nutritional powerhouse.

 
 
MORE HONEY INFORMATION

Meaty wild mushrooms that range in color from orange to yellow-gold, the unusual color is due to the presence of carotenoids, antioxidant pigments that also give color to bell peppers, cantaloupe, carrots, papaya, mangos, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables.

In addition to their color, it’s easy to recognize chanterelles from their wavy caps with ruffled gills that flare upward along the stem—forming a trumpet shape.

They’re prized because they’re different, and not just for their looks. They have an aroma resembling apricots or peaches, and a nutty flavor. They can’t be cultivated but must be gathered by hand. This can make them more expensive, but wild mushrooms are invariably more flavorful than cultivated ones.

Cantharellus cibarius, commonly known as the chanterelle or golden chanterelle, grows wild on the forest floor, in old, deep, “leaf litter.” It grows in quantity along the Pacific Coast of North America, and in temperate forests around the world. (Note: Don’t gather your own in the forest, unless you have had expert training in how to identify them, or can get expert advice prior to consuming them.)

These meaty mushrooms also contain significant amounts of protein, plus chromium, iron, eight essential amino acids, potassium and vitamins A and D2 (the latter helps the body absorb calcium).
 
 
USING CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS

Chanterelles love to be paired with with pasta, risotto, anything with a butter or cream sauce, and in a ragout with other wild mushrooms.

As with all mushrooms, they shine with garlic and onions, and cow’s milk cheeses like Parmesan (the difference between Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano).

 
Chanterelles can garnish an elegant protein such as filet mignon or turbot; or it can fill tortillas, as in the Chanterelle Tacos recipe below.
 
 
CHANTERELLE TIPS

 
 
CHANTERELLE TRIVIA

[3] Chanterelle tacos (photo courtesy Ten Speed Press | Crown Publishers).

This recipe, sent to us by Good Eggs, is from Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen, by Heidi Swanson.

 
Ingredients

1. HEAT the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion, chile, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent, a few minutes.

2. INCREASE the heat to high, add the mushrooms, stir well, and cook until the mushrooms release their liquid. Then brown, about 5 minutes more. Stir just a few times along the way; with excessive stirring, the mushrooms won’t brown deeply.

3. REMOVE from the heat. Rub the oregano between your palms and let it rain down into the mushroom mixture. Taste and add a bit more salt, as desired.

4. WARM the tortillas. Wrap the stack in a barely damp kitchen towel. Place in a heavy pot over very low heat, cover, and let warm for a few minutes, or until you are ready to use them. If you want char on the tortillas, toast them directly over the flame of the stove.

5. SPOON the mixture into the warmed tortillas and sprinkle the Parmesan over all of the tacos. Serve with the sour cream and parsley.

This crunchy chopped salad is a smooth transition from summer to heartier winter salads.

It’s based on what we think is an under-used vegetable, fennel, which is in season from early fall to early spring.

Crisp fennel and crisp apple combine with crunchy pomegranate arils, which add a festive touch.

(Don’t like arils? Try this fennel and arugula salad with apple and orange.

We’re also fond of these fennel pickles.)

This recipe comes to us from Beth Warren Nutrition. Beth is the author of two books, Living a Real Life with Real Food (2014) and Kosher Girl, due in spring 2018. Her focus is health-conscious kosher meals; but you don’t have to be kosher to enjoy every bite.

Beth likes this recipe for Rosh Hashanah. It goes splendidly with yesterday’s recipe for Buttermilk Roast Chicken.

Also take a look at this Orange Fennel Salad recipe, this Shaved Salad With Pear & Fennel, and these Fennel Pickles.
 
 
RECIPE: FALL FENNEL SALAD

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients in glass mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
 
 
FENNEL FACTS

Fennel looks like the offspring of a peeled white onion and a bunch of dill. It’s crunchy like celery, with a slight anise taste.

[1] A fall chopped salad: fennel salad, with apples and pomegranate arils (photo courtesy Beth Warren Nutrition).

[2] A bulb of fennel. All parts can (and should!) be eaten (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

 
The History Of Fennel

Fennel is highly aromatic and flavorful, with a long history of both culinary and medicinal uses. The bulb and stalks resemble celery, the leaves look like dill (Anethum graveolens, also of the same order and family), and the aroma and flavor resemble sweet licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabraa, a totally different order [Fabales] and family [Fabaceae]).

A member of the parsley family* (Apiaceae), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and celery (Petroselinum crispum) are botanical cousins, members of the same order* (Apiales) and family* (Apiaceae). Both are believed to be indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, growing wild before they were cultivated thousands of years ago.

Records of fennel’s use date back to about 1500 B.C.E, although its use far precedes the records.

Fennel was likely first cultivated in Greece, and was used for both medicinal† and culinary purposes. The ancient Greeks and Romans ate the entire plant: the bulb, the the seeds, blossoms and the fronds.

Theirs was a more bitter variety. Florence fennel, also called sweet anise and finocchio in Italian, the variety eaten as a vegetable, wasn’t developed until the 17th century, in the area of Florence, Italy [source].

Although many recipes make reference to fennel “root,” it is actually the stalk, swollen into a bulb-like shape at the plant’s base, which is consumed (the same is true with kohlrabi).

Uses For Fennel

Fennel can be substituted for celery in recipes when an additional nuance of flavor is desired. We also enjoy it as part of a crudités plate.

Fennel seeds are a popular spice, for baking, bean dishes, brines, fish, pork, sausages and much more. We especially like them in cole slaw and cucumber salad.

Plain and sugar-coated fennel seeds are used as a spice and an after-meal mint in India and Pakistan. If you don’t see a dish of them as you leave, ask for them at restaurants.
___________________________________________
 
*We love this family, which also includes angelica, anise, asafoetida, caraway, carrot, celery, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lovage, cow parsley, parsley, parsnip and lesser known edible plants (sea holly, giant hogweed). It also includes the poisonous hemlock.

In case you don’t remember plant taxonomy from high school biology, here’s a refresher.

†Pliny The Elder mentions fennel as a treatment for stomachache, the “stings of serpents,” uterus health and other maladies. Those ancient homeopaths got it right: According to Web MD, modern uses include various digestive problems, such as heartburn, intestinal gas, bloating, loss of appetite and colic in infants. It is also used for upper respiratory tract infections, coughs, bronchitis, cholera, backache, bedwetting, and visual problems. Some women use fennel for increasing the flow of breast milk, promoting menstruation, easing the birthing process, and increasing sex drive. And yes, fennel powder is used as a poultice for snakebites.

An onion is a thing of beauty—until you slice into it and the fumes assault your eyes. But that doesn’t need to be. Here are some tips to minimize the impact of the acrid gas that’s released when you slice into an onion.

WHY DO ONION VAPORS BURN YOUR EYES?

Simply peeling an onion does not make your eyes water.

But once you chop, cut, crush or smash the onion, the onion’s cells break open, creating a chemical reaction. Enzymes called alliinases break down the amino acids (sulfoxides)in the onion and generate sulfenic acids.

These further react to produce a volatile gas known as the onion lachrymatory factor, or LF. LF diffuses through the air and activates sensory neurons in eye, causing that burning, stinging sensation.

It’s not dissimilar to the effects of tear gas. Tear glands come to the defense, producing tears to dilute and flush out the irritant. If you slice onions a lot, your eyes will become more tolerant (they may build up a tolerance to the LF).

NO-STING & LESS-STING SOLUTIONS

Our personal technique: For no sting whatsoever, wear swimming goggles (or any goggles). It works like a charm.

No goggles? These will help: