Chef Kwame Williams prepares zero-waste broccoli coleslaw

Health Dec 21, 2019 1:54 PM EDT

Do you ever throw away parts of various vegetables, because you’re sure they are no good? Well, think again.

During a recent visit to the James Beard House in New York City, chef Kwame Williams showed PBS NewsHour Weekend how to make a zero-waste broccoli coleslaw. Williams walked us through the steps of making his delicious dish and gave us tips for eliminating waste along the way.

Why care about food waste?

As we report in our “Future of Food” series, if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China and the United States.

Chef Kwame Williams on how to make a zero-waste broccoli coleslaw. Photo by NewsHour Weekend

Americans waste up to 40 percent of the food they produce. When you dive deeper, it turns out consumers play a large role. Overall consumers and consumer-facing businesses like restaurants and cafeterias are responsible for over 80 percent of the food waste in this country. And an average household of four spends over $1,500 on food per year that ultimately ends up in the trash.

So as you’re cooking up a feast this holiday season, try these tips for saving food and money while you’re in the kitchen.

For more zero-waste ideas, you can also check out the James Beard Foundation cookbook, “Waste Not: How To Get The Most From Your Food.”

Recipe: Zero-Waste Broccoli Coleslaw by PBS NewsHour on Scribd

We're not going anywhere.

Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on!

By —

Melanie Saltzman Melanie Saltzman

Melanie Saltzman reports, shoots and produces stories for PBS NewsHour Weekend on a wide range of issues including public health, the environment and international affairs. In 2017 she produced two stories for NewsHour’s “America Addicted” series on the opioid epidemic, traveled to the Marshall Islands to report on climate change, and went to Kenya and Tanzania to focus on solutions-based reporting. Melanie holds a BA from New York University and an MA in Journalism from Northwestern University, where she was a McCormick National Security Fellow. In 2010, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in Berlin, Germany.

By —

Megan Thompson Megan Thompson

Megan Thompson shoots, produces and reports on-camera for PBS NewsHour Weekend. Her report "Costly Generics" earned an Emmy nomination and won Gracie and National Headliner Awards. She was also recently awarded a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship to report on the issue of mental health. Previously, Thompson worked for the PBS shows and series Need to Know, Treasures of New York, WorldFocus and NOW on PBS. Prior to her career in journalism she worked in research and communications on Capitol Hill. She originally hails from the great state of Minnesota and holds a BA from Wellesley College and a MA in Journalism from New York University.

@megbthompson