Embrace Your Roots

GINA HOMOLKA, THE AUTHOR BEHIND THE SKINNYTASTE COOKBOOKS AND BLOG, CRAFTILY TRANSFORMS A VEGETABLE SCRAP OFTEN DESTINED FOR THE TRASH.

- GINA HOMOLKA

COOKING WITH THE WHOLE VEGETABLE-scraps included might be buzzy now, but my parents always followed that trend. They met in Queens, NY, where they'd immigrated as teenagers with no money: My dad had escaped war-torn Czechoslovakia; my mom had left her home in Colombia to nanny in the States. They shared a deep love of cooking. I remember elaborate meals on Sunday-roast duck with sauerkraut and dumplings, arroz con pollo, carne bistec-but budget was always top of mind. Everything had a second life: Onion skins and celery tops were the base for tomorrow's soup; leftover meat became pot pie or croquettes. My mom could stretch a meal for unexpected guests at a moment's notice.