I think this is hopeless(plus Food Waste Friday)
Those of you who've been watching my food waste progress for a while know that cilantro is a major downfall for me. I can never seem to use up an entire bunch before it goes bad. Well, this week I'm making a dish that calls for cilantro so I had to buy some. It was on sale for $.50 a bunch at my grocery store, which was great, but what wasn't great is that all the bunches were enormous. The picture doesn't really show it, but there is a LOT of cilantro there, more than I could ever hope to use in a week.
I'm thinking of asking if anyone at my church needs cilantro...maybe I can just give half of it away, and then I won't have to worry about using it all up. And if that fails, I might offer it on freecycle...maybe someone in my neighborhood needs cilantro this week.
So, hopefully there will be no cilantro in my food waste photo next week. Speaking of food waste photos, I should tell you that I don't have one this week because I wasted nothing. Woohoo!
I very nearly wasted an egg yolk, some sour milk, and part of a beaten egg white, it occurred to me that I could throw all three of those things into a batch of whole wheat pancakes, so that's what we had for lunch today.
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Kristen, I have taken herbs such as basil and parsley when I have extra
and choped them up and added liquid (water or broth) and frozen them in ice cube trays. Then when needed you can pop them out and toss in soup or stew. You can also let them thaw, discard the liquid and use in your recipe. As long as the herb isn't for a garnish, this works pretty well.
Congratulations on wasting no food this week.
Your "cilantro problem" is exactly what I have with parsley. It started because I buy it every week, because if I have it on hand I always know I can make salmon patties, clams linguini, and a lot of other pantry dinners that are staples for us. But then even when I use it I only use about half the bunch. So on my best weeks in terms of food waste, I'll still have half a bunch of parsley to toss out. Maybe I will try Gail's tip for freezing. I also like your idea to maybe split it with a friend or neighbor in the first place. I do that with some produce when I buy a bag. One other thought- maybe I'll plan a meal that I know uses parsley the night before I know I'm going grocery shopping.
Thanks for helping me be more aware of all this stuff!
I would lay out on newspaper and dry them out and bottle. Dried cilantro is no comparison to fresh, but it has its uses.
I was going to say what Gail said. 🙂 That works very well!
I love this cilantro dressing salad - when I have too much cilantro, I make a batch of the dressing, and usually make it extra-thick, so it's more like dip or spread. Goes great with everything in my kitchen. Take a look, this might help:
http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/red-cabbage-and-chicken-asian-salad.html
(Cilantro, peanut butter, ginger, and garlic. All flavors I love.)
I definitely second the freezing recommendation - I do it with good effect. I think it would be perfect to throw in with your tortilla soup or if you are ever making salsa. Also, I think I remember you make a cilantro pesto - you could whip that up and freeze in ice cube trays and pop out the cubes to store in freezer bags in your freezer.
And I also have learned that a key to no food waste is planning a couple of meals that use infrequently-used ingredients - buttermilk and sour cream are not ingredients we use often and can go to waste unless I *plan* to use them in something else rather quickly.
I have the same issue you and Stacey have. (Although never with basil. That doesn't seem to last long enough.) I found an article on herb storage at Simply Recipes http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007215how_to_store_parsley_cilantro_and_other_fresh_herbs.php That may help you purchase cilantro less often or extend the time you have to use it. I would also look into freezing it or make a sauce with the remaining and put it over chicken for a different dinner.
You can cut the cilantro up and put it in a freezer bag and freeze for the next time you need it. My husband is Asian and uses cilantro all the time so we grow large amounts in the summer, chop them, and put them into freezer bags for the winter. We have freeze about 10 gallon size bags a year.
I freeze it as well, but without water. Usually I chop it up and put it in a bag or jar. It clumps a bit, but pieces come apart easily. I have also just put a whole bunch in the freezer as is and cut what was needed using scissors. I have just started doing this with green peppers as well - and they taste great as long as they are mixed up into something warm - as a garnish, even warmed up, they are a bit to slimy. If you need to keep fresh cilantro, trim stems, put in a glass with water and then put a plastic bag over top and store on the fridge door. I have manage to keep a bunch for almost a month this way. This works with most herbs.
I have the same problem....
but my Spanish mother~in~law has a different twist. She blends Cilantro with olive oil, oregano, maybe green pepper, pepper, salt, alittle onion and freezes the concoction either in ice cube trays for baggies later or in a plastic container, and then scoops out a tablespoon or so for rice and beans, just about anything she cooks. It adds a divine flavor.
BUT I would imagine if you blended the leaves with nothing else added and froze it it would be the same principle. di
you don't have to freeze it! just use it in your other recipes!
on monday, add some to your green salad, especially good with an asian salad dressing.
on tuesday, put some in your quesadillas, and/or upgrade your salsa by adding fresh chopped cilantro!
and on saturday, if you still have some left over - I would totally mince it up and put it on the pizza on Saturday.
But .... I just love cilantro, so I would put it on just about anything. I just made a soup where you add chopped cilantro right before serving -- so pretty and so delish! I also love it to make guacamole, added to refried beans -- one time i made tzatziki with cucumber and cilantro instead of dill and that was also really great!
good luck!
I have a great way to keep cilantro for at least 7 days. If you treat is as you would fresh flowers, it lasts so much longer. I bring mine home, snip off the ends and place it in a glass of water. Then I place the glass in the fridge and add water as needed over the next week or so. I hope this helps.
I too have wasted too much cilantro and parsley. I keep it in a glass container in the fridge for weeks but still never manage to use it all up most times. I'm a bit of a pesto nut. I've made it with basil of course, but also parsley or spinach, which is fantastic. I looked on Allrecipes.com and found the recipe. What I love about pesto is it lasts for quite some time and can be used on rice, pasta, sandwiches and thrown into soup. I will try this recipe.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fabulous-Cilantro-Pesto/Detail.aspx
Tzatziki with cilantro-I'm drooling at 8 a.m. for it!
re: cilantro. it also makes fantastic pesto which you can then freeze. blend it up with garlic, olive oil, a few nuts and grated cheese (and basil too if it's lying around) and make a pesto with a different flavor. great for nights noone feels like cooking - boil pasta, toss with pesto, eat!