A quarter of the food we buy ends up in the trash can, instead of on our dinner plates. Too often we end up throwing away that last pepper or the spare tomato that didn't make it into our recipes. Instead of tossing those "orphaned" fruits and vegetables, turn them into your next meal. Smoothies, frittatas and breads are great options to utilize that otherwise wasted produce. Here, Jen Rustemeyer, producer of the documentary, "Just Eat It- A Food Waste Story" shows how to use the orphan bananas and leftover brewed coffee to make delicious banana bread.
Ingredients:
- 3 ripe rescued bananas
- 1 cup leftover brewed black coffee
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Mash bananas and mix them with the already brewed coffee.
Set aside the banana/coffee mixture.
In a large mixing bowl, whip butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time and add vanilla.
In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking power, baking soda and cinnamon.
You should have three working bowls, one for your dry goods, one for the bananas and coffee and one with your sugar mixture.
Alternate between the dry and wet bowls as you add them to the butter/sugar mixture.
Pour your final mixture into 2 loaf pans and bake 50 min at 350 degrees F.
Jen Rustemeyer is the producer of msnbc's new documentary, Just Eat It. Don't miss the premiere on Earth Day, Wednesday April 22nd at 10 pm ET.