A Food Fight article presented by Jour de la Terre

Revisiting Holiday Classics with a Zero-Waste Twist!

Every year they come back, like a comforting habit, a reassuring embrace… holiday classics are truly timeless. Sometimes we stick strictly to the original ingredients — we wouldn’t want to upset anyone by changing Grandma’s fudge recipe — but other times, we can have fun experimenting with alternatives to use what we already have on hand and give our Christmas meal a little zero-waste flavor! Here are a few classic recipes where you can swap certain elements without losing the nostalgic touch.

Stuffing

A traditional stuffing is made with bread, meat, celery, broth, onions, and rosemary. No matter the recipe, almost all components can be replaced: bread can be swapped for pita, naan, or crackers, and the meat (usually sausage) can be replaced with any other meat or legumes. Celery can be substituted with fennel or cabbage, and onions with leeks, shallots, or green onions. Finally, rosemary can be replaced by any herb from the “Herbes de Provence” profile (thyme, oregano, sage, savory…).

Tourtière

Aside from the crust, this dish mainly consists of meat/protein, vegetables/aromatics, a binding agent, and seasoning. If you don’t have potatoes to bind everything, you can use day-old bread or breadcrumbs. You can also swap the meat for a plant-based protein like lentils with a splash of soy sauce or even millet, as in this recipe:

Crustless Mini Sandwiches

A buffet-style classic, these little sandwiches are always a hit. White sliced bread can easily be replaced with naan or even crackers for a bite-sized version. For the filling, you can substitute ham, chicken, or eggs with lentils, beans, tofu, or even smoked fish you have on hand:

Meatball Stew

This is THE ultimate zero-waste holiday recipe because most components can be swapped without compromising the dish. Ground meat in the meatballs can be beef, veal, chicken, turkey, or even replaced with chickpeas or pureed beans. Traditional vegetables like carrots and celery can be swapped for any slightly wilted veggies lurking in the crisper, and potatoes can be replaced with squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, or even rice! Finally, the classic stew spices — a mix of pepper, thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and onion powder — can be replaced with whatever spices you have on hand, like Herbes de Provence or even mild curry.