It’s that time of year again- time to ponder our past behaviors and dream of the New Year and all the positive changes it will bring. (Oh Joy!) If you’re anything like me, you may have struggled with some your personal resolutions in the past, and that’s understandable. I’ve found that my goals usually require a degree of mental gymnastics to achieve, i.e… I need to trick myself into seeing them through. This year, rather than picking a smaller number on the scale or cutting things out of my routine, I’ve decided to try a softer approach. An adjustment. A tweak. “Create More, Waste Less.” That’s my resolution. Intentionally vague? Yes. Doable? Definitely.
One way to reduce food waste is to use the parts you would normally toss, which might sound daunting or even silly. However you might be surprised at what you can use with a little creativity. Candied citrus peels are a delicious treat on their own, or can be dipped in chocolate, served with ice-cream, added to your favorite granola or trail mix, or as a lovely cocktail garnish.
HOW TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEELS
Servings: 1 cup
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 oranges
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS:
- When selecting your oranges, try to pick fruit with a nice peel — not too thin, minimal discoloration, and smells sweet, fresh, and citrusy, not old, fermented or musky.
- Take your oranges and slice the ends off completely. Don’t take off too much, just enough to remove the stem and give yourself 2 flat ends.
- Remove the peel in 1 piece, slicing through the peel from top to bottom. Ideally, you should end up with a rectangular piece of peel. Don’t worry if it rips; this is mostly aesthetic
- Cut the rectangular piece into centimeter-wide strips.
- The remaining fruit can be enjoyed raw, or juiced and made into a refreshing cocktail (see our Florida Fizz below) so set it aside for later.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine equal parts sugar and water (2 cups of each should be plenty).
- Whisk to dissolve the sugar as the water approaches a boil, and add a splash of lemon juice.
- Add your peels, reduce heat, cover and simmer until soft. This will take about 45 minutes, but check your progress about every 15 min.
- Once soft, carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on a piece of wax paper.
- Sprinkle with the extra sugar (try to fully coat, it prevents your candies from sticking to each other), and leave to dry. The drying period can take up to 2 days, so be patient and plan ahead, or speed up the process with a dehydrator if you have one available.
The holidays may have left you feeling heavy, so I created a light, refreshing cocktail that will take you (at least mentally) to a tropical destination. This recipe calls for fresh juice, which you can make yourself or source locally, but if you juice at home you can make a little extra for the next day’s breakfast.
HOW TO MAKE FLORIDA FIZZ
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 navel oranges
- 1 blood orange
- 1.5 oz Vanilla vodka
- Prosecco
- Ice
- Juice your oranges with an electric juicer or by hand (hey, no shame). Don’t use Tropicana. It. will. not. be. good. This is a simple recipe by design, and the fresh juice is the star. Let her shine.
- Mix 1.5 ounces of vanilla vodka with 3 ounces of your fresh artisanal OJ and shake with ice in cocktail shaker. Strain into a flute, and top with prosecco. Garnish with a candied orange peel and a mint leaf, or an orange wheel.
Note: If you don’t have vanilla vodka, you can use regular vodka and a drop of real vanilla extract. Just be careful, vanilla extract is highly concentrated so don’t overdo it.
In the spirit of the New Year’s resolution, Create More, Waste Less, you can also check out the how-to guide I’ve put together on how to prep and store aromatic herbs so you can keep exploring the art of conscientious cooking.
Written by Olivia Gover
