Weekly Bits: Eco Eats
Marek Uliasz
In honor of Earth Week, we focused on some easy ways to green up your cooking. Our latest comment roundup includes some of the great responses you, our readers, shared on saving energy in the kitchen. Also on this week's menu: Get your green on with more ways to love asparagus.
"If I must bake something in the summer, I use my toaster oven's convection setting instead of the regular oven. It's so much smaller that it creates less heat, which means my air conditioner doesn't have to run all the time. I'm surprised by how much I can fit into the toaster oven. Similarly, I'll use the slow cooker sometimes in the summer. It doesn't use that much electricity and doesn't warm the kitchen as fast as a stove burner. Again, that means you won't resort to straining your AC." --Julie
"Save lots of water by using a small bucket or watering can to catch any water you normally run down the drain when waiting for the [faucet] water to warm up. Water your house plants, or even garden with this water." --Lulie
"We are so fortunate to have a huge asparagus patch. I just can't get enough of it when it is in season. My newest recipe is asparagus pesto: Roast or steam them. Process with garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts, just like you would make a regular pesto. Awesome on pasta, or spread on grilled pizza dough and topped with cheese. A yummy appetizer to serve before a grilled dinner." --Tina
"I made steamed asparagus the other night and dressed it with a light tarragon-shallot reduction made after sauteing chicken breasts. The flavors worked so well together. The next night I made some grilled, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus spears--blanched the asparagus then wrapped them, seasoned with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, then grilled them. The flavor was good, but my tip for this is to use very, very thin prosciutto slices." --Amy
"I was never into veggie burgers really due to the fact that they'd try to imitate tasting like something else. I was at a BBQ a few years back and was amazed by how great the Dr. Praeger's taste. True, they are a bit pricey but work as a great meal once in a while. The spinach patties and potato pancakes made by Dr. Praeger's are also quite good." --Jon
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