The best recipes to use up your fruits and veggies before they go bad!

You might have overestimated how many fruits and vegetables you and your family need and that may have led you to purchase more than you actually need. This likely means that you have fruits and vegetables becoming riper with each passing day. So, what do you do? Well, you start cooking and baking of course!

Fruits: Sticky Spiced Pork Belly and Watermelon

Source:https://honestcooking.com/new-ways-cook-fruit/

Ingredients

• 3 Garlic Cloves, sliced
• 2-inch pieces of Fresh Ginger, sliced
• 1 rounded teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Chinese Black Rice Vinegar
• 3.3 pounds no less pork belly, skin scored with sea salt
• For salad
• ½ Medium-sized watermelon, chilled, rind removed, and cut into more sized cubes
• 4 Scallions, sliced
• 1 large red chile, seeded and sliced
• 11/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into fine matchsticks
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime, plus extra to serve
• 2 to 3 teaspoons black or toasted white sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro

Instructions

1. Start by marinating the pork: Put the garlic and ginger on a baking sheet or in a shallow bowl that will fit the pork belly lying flat and snuggly. Add the five-spice, soy sauce, honey, and vinegar and mix to combine. Lay the pork on the pan or in the bowl, skin-side up, cover with plastic wrap and let marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. The next day, line a roasting pan with a double thickness of foil and sit a roasting or wire rack on top. Remove the pork from the marinade, lay on top of the rack, skin-side up, and leave for an hour at room temperature to dry the skin.
3. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Sprinkle the pork skin lightly with sea salt and roast for 20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
4. Reduce the temperature to 350ºF and cook the pork for another hour until the skin has crisped and the meat is cooked through. Meanwhile, for the salad, put the prepared watermelon, scallions, chile, and ginger into a bowl and use your hands to very gently mix.
5. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and lime juice in a cup, but don’t pour over the salad until just before serving, otherwise, the watermelon will become soggy.
6. Once the pork is cooked, let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut into small bite-sized pieces. Pour the dressing over the salad and divide between serving plates.
7. Arrange the pork on top, scatter with the sesame seeds and cilantro, and serve immediately with extra lime on the side.

Lemon-Herb Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables

https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/lemon-herb-sheet-pan-roasted-vegetables

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound peeled cubed butternut squash (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 8 ounces small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
• Cooking spray
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest strips
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Combine oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine butternut squash, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and potatoes in a large bowl. Add oil mixture, garlic, and sliced lemon to vegetables; toss to coat.
3. The spread vegetable mixture in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450°F for 35 minutes or until browned and tender, stirring gently with a spatula after 25 minutes. Remove pan from the oven. Sprinkle vegetables with parsley, chives, dill, lemon zest strips, and lemon juice; toss.