My pantry problem solved itself last week. Or rather, my boyfriend and I had to solve it quickly, as we found ourselves overcome with a moth infestation. Throwing out quite a lot of food is the only real option at that stage, and I can tell you it hurt. But it had to be done and I hope it will teach me to not buy as much stuff as I did before.
So I start fresh, or almost. There is only one kind of rice in my pantry today. Some quinoa, lentils and chickpeas. But no farro, sushi rice or polenta. And many other things I might not really miss at all.
I know, just having to throw all of these things away is not really an option if you don't have a moth problem. I remember that quite a few of you commented a while ago that you had the same overflowing pantry problem, though. And honestly, I need a good coping technique to keep myself from getting into the same troubles again. How do you deal with wanting to use a variety of grains and legumes in your cooking but not wanting to get hit on the head with a sack of beans when you open the pantry?
One rule I want to implement in my household is that I am only allowed to buy something new if I empty something else. This means that I have to get creative, using a bag of millet in a variety of ways before I can go out and buy some farro.
My idea is to compile a list of recipes for all the grains and legumes I might want to use so that I never run into problems complying with that goal I set myself. And maybe it can help you, too. I really want this to be helpful to anyone else but me, so if you do have any suggestions on what you like to see in future posts, I'd love to hear.
Today, I wanted to start with something easy. Quinoa has a higher turnover in my pantry than most other things I buy. But still, someday I might need inspiration to use up the quinoa still lingering in the back of a cupboard, and for those days I created a special pinterest board. I collected a variety of quinoa recipes, from these quinoa patties to salads, sushi and even dessert. And I'll updated the board as I find more recipes I think might inspire you to go and use that quinoa you sure have in the pantry.
The pinterest board can be found here,
and the recipe for the quinoa patties here.
Lena, I'm sorry to hear about your moth problem! I tend to keep my whole grains, especially the ones I don't use very often, in the fridge. I left some steel-cut oats in the pantry from last winter and hadn't been using them very often. Recently, I found that they'd become infested with weevils (gross!), so I know how you feel!
ReplyDeleteSince you mentioned millet, I'll share a link to a recipe for a millet breakfast. It's pretty simple and doesn't require much, as long as you plan ahead. The original recipe calls for maple syrup, but usually I just stir in a big spoonful of whatever fruit preserves I have lying around. I wasn't sure how much I'd like the recipe at first, but it's become my favourite breakfast if there's no bread in the house.
I had to google weevils, they really look gross.
DeleteI wish I could store my whole grains in the fridge, but it is really small and I can barely fit in there what really needs to be stored cool. I should post a picture, in addition to being tiny it is also laid out badly.
Thanks for the recipe suggestion. Making a big batch of millet for breakfasts throughout the week sounds really good to me. I have seen the recipe before but did not try it until now.
Oh no. :( We've never had moths, but we did have ants in our pantry several years ago and we had to throw out just about anything that wasn't unopened. So awful! I like the idea of only buying something new once you've used something up. And I loooove the idea of quinoa patties! :D
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