Monday Zero Waste Meals - Soup and Salad

Potato cheese soup is a family favorite that I've found has been easy to make nearly zero waste.  I originally got the recipe from Laurel's Kitchen.

3-4 pretty large baking potatoes - keep peels on, but scrub them thoroughly (loose in produce section)_
2 carrots (loose produce)
1/2 a large onion or a medium onion, chopped (loose produce)
butter (I try to get the local kind wrapped in wax paper)
salt to taste.  I'd say a good tsp at least.
milk (local in glass returnable jugs)
cheese (bought over the counter using my own container)

You can cut up the potatoes and carrots to make them cook faster, then cover them with water in a pot and simmer until soft.  Don't let the cooking water boil away.  You need it!
In the meantime, chop your onion and then saute in butter until soft and translucent.
Take the pot with the potatoes, carrots and cooking water and let cool.  If I'm in a hurry and have room in the fridge, I'll set it in there for a bit to hasten cooling.
Once cool enough, peel the potatoes.  Put the peels in the compost and the potatoes back into the water.
I have an immersion blender which comes in handy for this next part.  Mash or blend the potatoes and carrots in the water until it is smooth.  Add in the onions and continue to blend.
Then add in 2-4 cups of milk - depending on how much you have and to your taste.
Heat everything back up gently on the stove.
Add salt to taste.
Grate or chop finely your package free cheese.  Anywhere from 1 cup to 3 cups, again, depending on what you have available and how you like it.
Add the cheese into the hot milky soup and stir gently until it is all melted.

This soup is good hot or cold.  It actually tastes a little better the next day.  It makes a nice breakfast soup too!

Zero Waste Cobb Salad

Buy your lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, green onion, celery, mushrooms, whatever you can get loose/without packaging.  Wash, dry and chop to make the salad.

Add in:  nuts and/or seeds you bought in bulk (bringing your own container or bag), chopped up deli meat you bought over the counter using your own container, ditto for cheese.  For a bit of sweetness you can also chop up an apple and add that in as well.

Dressing - around here there are no places to get bulk items such as olive oil, vinegar or honey.  EXCEPT!  I just made a trip to a new grocery store in my area, EARTH FARE, and they do have these items in bulk!  However, I hardly ever go to that area of my county, so I'd have to plan a special trip and I'm not sure the gas and the time is worth it.  I wish the store was closer!

Anyway, making your salad dressing is pretty easy.  The formula is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.  You can also add in lemon juice.  Depending on our mood, we might add in any of the following:  salt and pepper, chopped garlic, mustard, mayo, a cooked egg yolk, honey.  If you use the cooked yolk to thicken the dressing, you can slice up the white of the egg and add that into your salad.  How fancy we get with our dressing all depends on how inspired we feel!  Or you can just do oil and vinegar.