It would be hard to improve on the zerowaste concept here, where the main ingredient all too often ends up in the compost or, worse yet, the garbage. We  mostly prefer vegetables (and technically in this case fruit) unpeeled and in their whole and natural state, but when peeling a tomato is called for, hold onto those skins to create tomato chips! Roasted briefly, they turn crisp and flavorful, ideal as a fun summer snack or as a sidebar to a main meal. In this version the peeled strips of tomato skin are paired with a favorite Italian pecorino pepato cheese, fresh oregano from the garden, and a touch of olive oil. But really you can experiment with whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand. For a vegan version simply skip the cheese altogether.

So why is food waste a climate change issue? According to the United Nations, if food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter. This is because a staggering 30-50% of the food we produce ends up in landfills where it releases large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when it breaks down. And then there's all the wasted resources from its land use, production and transportation. By shopping more intentionally, using all parts of the vegetables and fruit we buy and by being clever with leftover ingredients, we can almost completely eliminate waste.

Tomato Chips

8 servings  |    Equipment: A serrated tomato peeler; a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (preferably compostable)

Ingredients

2 pounds (1 kg) large organic beefsteak tomatoes
3 ounces (90 g) pecorino pepato cheese, finely grated
2 tablespoons fresh or dried oregano
2 tablespoons organic extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt, for garnish
Ground piment d’Espelette or ground mild chili pepper, for garnish

Method

1.   Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven 400°F (200°C).

2.   Arrange a dish cloth on a work surface. To make the tomatoes easier to peel, quarter them lengthwise. With the peeler, peel the skin lengthwise into long strips. Place the tomato skins on the cloth to absorb an excess moisture. The dryer the skins are, the better they will crisp up in roasting. In a bowl, toss them thoroughly with the cheese, oregano, and olive oil. Arrange the dressed skins side by side on the baking sheet.

3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast until the skins are crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully, and do not allow them to turn too dark, as the cheese can burn and turn bitter. Remove  from the oven and season lightly with salt and chili pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is an original recipe created for Nourish the Planet, a collaborative series by Patricia Wells and Emily Buchanan. © 2020 – All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce without permission.

Find our more here about why we created this series.