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…..Once again I have been slacking on posts, offline life has recently been taking up most of my time. Anyways I finally found a local Indian grocer, and was able to replenish the spices I had to leave behind in the move so It was time to make some Indian food. The cabbage recipe is all my own writing down and adding things as I went along whereas the Paneer Masala recipe original came from the Edible Garden with only a few minor modifications based on what I had on hand. Enjoy.

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I am a stay at home dad, foodie, and one who strives to do my part in reducing my footprint on the environment. No this is not a recipe for a meal, but in fact a recipe to lighten the load you put on the earth each and every day.

1. Buy local: I cannot say this enough when buying products locally grown or manufactured you are not only reducing the carbon emissions created in the shipping process but in fact you are keeping your money local.
2. Grow your own: You do not need a 100 acre farm to help reduce the strain on the environment that factory farming creates, all it takes is a little plot or a few containers worth of vegetables. If you want to really make an impact pick things to grow that are harder to ship (ie. tomatoes, peppers).
3. Compost: Depending on resources and location you can either have a compost pile, compost bin, or indoor vermiculture operation. This will reduce your contribution to the landfill, and improve the quality of soil in your home garden (HowToCompost.org).
4. Cook less: With every meal make a portion of it fresh, uncooked (ie. Salad, veggies and dip). The less you have to cook the more power or gas you save, and its better for you.
5. Make a leftovers shelf: I find myself always throwing out leftovers that have been lost in the catacombs of the fridge. This can easily be avoided by dedicating  a shelf or section that only contains leftovers or items coming close to their expiry date. When your hungry for a snack or can’t decide on dinner have a look I’m sure you can fill the void.
6. Save your cooking oil:  Don’t just pour your cooking oil down the drain, save it in a old coffee can (this way you can pour the oil while its hot in), and find a local recycling center. Vegetable oil recycling centers are becoming more widespread with the increased use of Biodeisel. To find a recycling center near you visit earth911.com. Or if it was just used for deep frying filter it and store for later use.
7. Examine what you buy: Try to buy products with less packaging and if it can’t be avoided make sure its recyclable or at-least biodegradable (Join the movement).
8. Green products: Every day we use hand dish soaps, dishwasher detergent, and hand soaps that all get flushed down the drain and are not biodegradable. There are many gray water safe products available that are completely biodegradable and/or made with very natural ingredients. They might not have fancy packaging and might be a little heavier on the pocket book but again this is reducing our footprint on the earth and not our bank account.
9. Thrift Shopping: I find with food photography you really have to be picky about the dishes you use for color, shape, and size. I could either go out and buy multiple new dish sets that look great in pictures or surf thrift shops and yard sales for those stray dishes that have become detached from their sets. This is cheaper and its recycling.
10. Make something from scratch: This is not only a way of minimizing the amount of hands that have touched your food but it can be fun, and be more empowering. This doesn’t mean all your food has to be from scratch, making just a single item that you would normally buy pre-made will make a difference.

These are just some things that help me be a little greener in my kitchen. If you have some great ideas that I haven’t covered please leave a comment.