- Oh, those poor, sad vegetables wilting away at the bottom of your bin.

You had such big plans for them, but they just didn't make it.

Well, never fear, because today I'm gonna help you get a grip on that produce drawer.

I'll show you how to choose a week's worth of vegetables and put them all to work deliciously with no waste in these recipes.

Three ingredient grilled corn with lime and basil.

Tender green salad with strawberries, cucumber, and basil.

Cod with kale and chorizo in broth.

Savory carrot cashew soup.

Making the most of your produce right now on Ellie's Real Good Food.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Funding for this series has been provided by.

(hip hop music) And by.

(gentle music) - [Woman] Grapes from California.

Grown by families, for families.

- [Announcer] And by Regal Springs Tilapia.

Ellie's Kitchen is provided by Clarke, New England's Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen.

- Hi, I'm Ellie Krieger, welcome to Ellie's Real Good Food.

Beautiful produce, it's irresistible, especially at its peak.

So you go a little overboard and cram it in the fridge, and then ponder what to do with it all as the days tick by and green turns to brown, it sounds familiar, right?

Well today I'll show you how to choose a mix of tender and hardier vegetables to last an entire week with no furry science experiments lingering at the end.

It kind of works like this, basically looking at your week in three parts.

So part one, in the beginning of the week you want tender vegetables, things like corn, herbs, tender leafy greens.

In the middle of the week you wanna get maybe a little bit more hardy vegetables, maybe things like kale, hardier greens like romaine, maybe broccoli would go in there.

At the end of the week is where your really sturdy vegetables come in, root vegetables, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, so buying a little bit for each portion of the week is a great way to manage your produce drawer.

First recipe is my three ingredient corn grilled with lime and basil, so you know what the three ingredients are, 'cause I just said 'em, corn, lime, and basil.

And then I get in my three ingredient recipes oil, salt, and pepper free.

So the first thing I'm gonna do is put some corn on the grill.

You know, you go to your farmers market you get some corn, or in the market, and you just really should eat it, ideally that day, because as it sits in the produce drawer the sugars turn to starch and it gets less and less sweet, and it takes about 10 minutes, I'm gonna move it around a little, get some char marks on there, and I'm gonna make this lovely little dressing for it.

And that involves basil, so about two tablespoons of basil, let's see.

Snap, crackle, and pop over there, my friends.

That means it's doin' what it's supposed to be doing.

So I'm just gonna cut up some basil here, fresh basil, and that's another thing that no matter how you store it it's just not gonna last that long in a fridge.

You can make it last longer by putting it in a jar like this, for example, and just treating it like a plant.

The other thing I like to do is kind of wash it and dry it really well and then store it in a plastic bag with paper towel, because that will really ensure that it doesn't get kind of slimy in the bag.

So that goes into my bowl there, gonna turn this corn.

Now that's what we're talkin' about.

Next lime, and I'm really making use of this one ingredient in two ways, 'cause I'm gonna have some zest.

So a little lime zest, it's nice 'cause it adds lime flavor without all the acidity.

And you always wanna make sure not to get the pith when you're zesting citrus.

That should do it.

About a quarter teaspoon.

Then about a tablespoon of lime juice, and a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

And then some salt and pepper.

So this is just gonna make a lovely, bright dressing for the corn.

(gentle guitar music) Give that a little stir to work it together.

Just some extra flavoring to make that corn extra special.

And the grill itself makes it extra special, look at that.

Ooh la la.

Then I just kinda drizzle this on top.

And that is it.

Three ingredient grilled corn, with basil and lime.

My guest Joanne used to live in California, and now that she lives on the east coast with its cold seasons, she misses the beautiful year-round produce of her former state.

So when summer rolls around, she admits she goes a little nuts at the local farmers markets.

- I've made a lot of lifestyle changes, one of which is I used to be 365 pounds, size 24 to be exact, and I was able to without any surgery or anything cosmetic I was able to get myself down to 135 pounds.

Over the years I've been adjusting what I eat, and I'm now incorporating raw food into my diet.

This is what I purchased, doing raw, and what I'll do is I just put it on my plate and I nosh.

But vegetables were dying on me within like three days of purchasing them, and I was throwing out more food than I was eating.

- Joanne's here with me, and she and her fridge are overwhelmed.

I think that's the case with a lot of people, I mean, if you buy too much the problem is you wind up wasting food or it goes bad and then you feel frustrated, and you're wasting money, you're wasting everything.

- And that's what I've been doing, so any suggestions, recommendations, I will gladly appreciate.

- So one of the things is definitely not buying more than you really need, and when you're at a farmers market you wanna leave a little room for whimsy 'cause you never know what you're gonna find, right?

- Yes.

- But, kind of get a sense of like, okay, I need three or four vegetables, three or four fruits, things like that.

And the other thing's storage.

So we're gonna make this beautiful salad today with these tender greens, and when you're buying tender greens really you wanna eat them kinda first.

But this is bib lettuce in here, and I've washed this in a salad spinner and then dried it and this is how I store it.

Okay, so if you just take lettuce and you put it into a bag without putting it with paper towel around it, it just winds up getting like slimy, right, the moisture in the bag builds up too much.

So if you put the paper towel around it it stays light and fresh like this, so you wanna extend the life of what you do buy.

So I'm just gonna tear that into this bowl, and on top of this we're gonna put some strawberries, some cucumbers, so maybe you can get those strawberries, if you don't mind, those are kinda big ones so you can cut them in eighths.

And so I'm putting some cucumber in here too, and cucumber's a great thing, because it does last awhile in the fridge.

I like to use these kind of English cucumbers.

- I love cucumbers.

- Yeah.

These are the key ingredients, I have some basil here too.

- Oh, nice.

- I'm just gonna make this lovely dressing, which has two tablespoons of walnut oil, and I love the flavor of walnut oil.

- Walnut oil's the best.

- Isn't it great?

- It is.

- Two tablespoons of that.

So two teaspoons of white wine vinegar, it's a really simple little dressing, but you'll see it tastes fantastic.

A teaspoon of honey.

- [Joanne] I always like the local honey.

- I like how you think.

- Yeah.

- Totally, I love, and that's one thing to get at the market that's really lovely.

- Absolutely.

- To buy there.

- And what I didn't know about honey is from the different regions, the honey tastes differently.

- Yes.

- And I didn't realize that.

- Well, because the bees are feeding on different flowers.

Well, not feeding on, but pollinating different flowers.

- Yeah, yeah.

No, you're right though, it's true.

- Yeah, so if you wanna give this a wisk.

- Oh, okay.

- Perfect.

Great.

So what we'll do is we'll just drizzle about half of this on here.

- Okay.

- Can you get half?

Good, I think that's, we'll start with that.

- [Joanne] Okay.

- And just to coat the leaves a little, and then what I like to do is serve this up like so.

- Now did you want me to cut the basil, or do you prefer to tear it?

- Yeah, we'll tear it.

So it depends on the dish, sometimes I cut it, sometimes I tear it.

- Okay.

- [Ellie] So we'll-- - [Joanne] Oh, that looks delicious and smells good.

- And then what I like to do is just kind of arrange some of the cucumbers, if you wanna arrange the strawberries.

I guess you're on strawberry patrol, right?

- [Joanne] Oh okay, yes, let's give it some poppage.

- Yes.

And then we can just each take a nice leaf of basil, and that's another one that I tend to store just like that, just like I do the tender greens.

- [Joanne] Okay.

- So then I love to put some pistachios, I just toasted these in a dry skillet.

- Oh, nice.

- Add a little pistachios on top.

And we can drizzle a little more dressing if you want.

- Okay, you tell me when.

- If you think it's easier we can use this.

- Okay.

- Just to drizzle a little.

How does that sound?

- Oh, delicious.

- And I have a couple of forks back here.

That's lovely.

- Okay, great.

And it took no time.

- And it took no time, so even if you're in a rush you can still get to that produce.

- Absolutely.

- Fork for you, napkin.

- Thank you very much.

- Tender green salad with strawberries, cucumber, and basil.

The ultimate in freshness.

- The dressing makes it, absolutely.

- I agree.

Thanks for being here, I appreciate it.

- No, thank you for your tips and having me on your show, because I have learned a lot.

- Oh good.

- Yeah.

(gentle guitar music) - Cod with kale and chorizo in broth, it's such a great recipe, especially for the middle of the week when you wanna use your hardier greens, like kale.

That's the time to do it, and this is the perfect recipe for it.

Starting off with a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, and I'm just going to chop some onion and some chorizo to put in there, so the onion softens and the chorizo gets a little brown.

I just love the combination of seafood with chorizo, it's like a very classic Spanish thing.

Just finishing up cutting this chorizo.

Has that really nice smoky, spicy flavor.

So I'm just gonna cook this up for four or five minutes, 'til the onions are soft and the chorizo has browned a bit, and released some of that flavor.

In the meantime I'm gonna slice up some garlic, another great flavor element here.

Just a few cloves.

That's ready to go.

I'll just start stemming my kale.

So sometimes when I get home from the farmers market, I'll stem the kale and kind of wash it and keep it just like I do the other greens, just so it's ready to go, because on a busy week night, I mean even though it's not much trouble to stem it like that, I got the rest done, just like takes one barrier away from actually getting that vegetable on the table.

I find that can sometimes make all the difference for people and the thing about kale is that it will last in the refrigerator nearly a week, so it you eat it toward the middle, toward the end of the week, it's still gonna be in good shape.

Just gonna cut that a little bit more, coarsely chop it.

Garlic can go in, get some heat on it for a minute.

Got some nice crispy edges on that chorizo.

Onion's starting to brown, so that's perfect, a perfect time to add the kale.

Just one bunch of kale.

And a cup and a half of fish broth.

Just wanna cook it a minute so it wilts down a bit, and this is just regular curly kale, but you could use any variety, really.

Alright, that looks great, now I'll just season the fish and put it in.

So I'm using cod.

You could use really any fish for this.

I love halibut, that's a great option.

You could use salmon if you wanted to, but I kinda prefer a whiter fish.

Nice steaky white fish, like cod or halibut, it's perfect.

And I'm just gonna nestle that in.

Just gonna cook right in there on top of this beautiful bed of greens.

I'll lower the heat, and that'll just take about 10 minutes.

Are you ready?

This is ready.

Ooh la la, I just love how this looks.

It's so flaky.

I'm gonna take this one, because it's so thick it took a little bit more than 10 minutes.

It took 12 to 13 minutes, so you really wanna cook it about 10 minutes per inch thickness, that's a good rule of thumb.

Just scoop some of that kale and chorizo, and you got the garlic and the fish broth, ready to be devoured.

So beautiful, I just have to take that in for a second.

Trying to get everything on one forkful.

Such a winning dish.

Cod with kale and chorizo in broth.

(funky music) I'm at the La Cienega Farmers Market in Los Angeles, and I'm shopping for a week's worth of groceries.

I'm gonna show you how to do it strategically so there's no waste, and you don't wanna waste this beautiful produce.

So these tender lettuces, this gorgeous gem lettuce, and herbs like cilantro, I start that for more the beginning of the week.

So, picked up some cilantro, also there's some basil here, and that only lasts a few days in the fridge.

So I'm gonna get some, and look, it's a mixture of purple and green, I love that.

I see a beautiful herby salad in my future.

So that's good to start the week, now for the middle of the week moving on to some of these hardier greens, 'cause these will last in the refrigerator for a few days.

Some of this gorgeous lacinato kale, also called dinosaur kale 'cause it looks like the skin of a dinosaur.

I am gonna get some Swiss chard, the rainbow chard's gorgeous, and that will also last in the refrigerator at least 'til the middle of the week.

And for later in the week, some of these hardier vegetables, so these will last a couple of weeks in the fridge.

So carrots, and when I get home I take the tops off, I save the tops 'cause they're actually good to eat, but if you leave them on the carrot itself won't last as long.

So separate the greens from the root and these beets will be wonderful, I'll roast those and eat 'em with the greens, actually, but take the greens off once I get home.

So now I have the beginning of the week, nice and tender, middle of the week, kind of more hardy, and the end of the week, super hardy.

(funky music) Savory carrot cashew soup.

And now we're at the end of the week, right, and now is when you wanna use your really sturdy vegetables like carrots, onions, garlic, I mean you use onions and garlic throughout the week, but this is where kind of the root vegetables come in as the main event, and this carrot soup is amazing, and it's made creamy, not with cream, but with cashews.

It's so delicious and satisfying, and simple to make.

Just putting some oil in the pot here, one tablespoon of olive oil, get that heating.

And I'll just grate some ginger.

One of the things to keep in mind is that for all your root vegetables, if they come with greens on them to just separate the greens from the root before you store them, and store them separately.

You can keep the greens usually and eat the greens and enjoy them, if not entirely on their own, cooked, you can use 'em as a garnish.

Alright, onions going in.

Just get that softened a bit.

And what I'm gonna do with this is I'm gonna reserve a little bit of the carrot, I've cut most of it, four carrots there, because with this last one I'm gonna just shred some and put it aside for garnish, 'cause I love to kinda put some of the chopped cashews and some grated carrot on top of the soup as garnish.

Okay, that should do for now.

I'll cut the rest into coins.

Okay, I'll get the ginger and garlic in there.

Okay.

So now a little bit of allspice, a quarter teaspoon of allspice.

Now, with the ginger and the garlic, this kind of gives it almost like an island flair.

Just really brings out the warmth, and is so aromatic.

And you know allspice, it's not a bunch of spices, right?

Allspice is actually one spice, it almost looks like a peppercorn.

Okay, so I'm gonna add the carrots in there and some chicken broth, some low sodium chicken broth.

Four cups.

And I'm gonna bring this to a boil, and then cover it and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

So the carrots are tender, the soup's cooled a bit, so it's a good temperature for blending, and I'm gonna put the cashews right in there with two teaspoons of honey, so bringing out that sweetness in the carrot, we got the savory going.

Just nice to have that flavor balance, compliment each other.

Quarter teaspoon of white pepper, and if you don't have white pepper that's fine, you can use regular black pepper, but I kinda like to keep that nice, even color.

And 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt.

Just gonna stir that in, and give it a whir in the blender in a couple of batches.

Three batches, I'd say.

Might be able to do it in two.

Oh, the color's magical, and you can see it's gotten so beautifully creamy from the cashews.

Just gonna transfer that to another pot.

So the cashews here do make this a complete meal, 'cause you're getting protein from the cashews.

Nice to serve with a sandwich maybe for dinner, or salad.

And I like to blend it up really, really well.

Gorgeous.

So I'm just gonna serve some up for myself here and show you how to garnish it, how it all comes together.

It looks pretty just like this, of course, but a little carrot on top, a little crunch of cashew, and there you have it, savory carrot cashew soup.

And that is how you get a week's worth of produce to hit the sweet spot where delicious and healthy meet.

Okay.

Drink water.

I'm gonna get a drink of water now.

It's one of the things I'm allowed to do.

Ready?

- Yes.

- Not you, them.

(laughs) Are you ready?

This is ready.

Ooh la la, I just love how this looks.

(people laugh) - [Announcer] For these recipes and much more, go to elliesrealgoodfood.com.

Also, connect with Ellie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Funding for this series has been provided by.

(hip hop music) And by.

(gentle music) - [Woman] Grapes from California.

Grown by families, for families.

- [Announcer] And by Regal Springs Tilapia.

Ellie's Kitchen is provided by Clarke, New England's Sub-Zero & Wolf Showroom and Test Kitchen.

(flute trills) (gentle music)