Everyone knows that odd bits of an animal are simply offal.

But the odd bits of fruits, vegetables and legumes are rich. Rich in most of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals packed into produce.

Good cooks will want to know what’s in those odd bits, and use them, instead of tossing them down the disposal, into the compost or on the landfill.  Plus, you paid for the whole plant…why not use it?

Here are 5 quick, simple ways to use chard stems, citrus peels and squash innards.

1. Sauté finely chopped chard stems and greens with garlic and onion in olive oil, until soft; add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and Tabasco to serve as a side dish

2. Sauté finely chopped chard stems with onion and garlic for any saute or soup base, or with sweet potatoes, milk and gruyere in a gratin

3. Puree whole organic lemons, quartered and unpeeled, with seeded watermelon and a touch of agave nector for an agua fresca

4. Add whole organic lemon and orange peels, before or after zesting, to a sangria, with peaches, benedictine, grenache and cointreau

5. Scoop out pumpkin, hubbard, kabocha and acorn squash seeds, either after roasting the split halves, or before. Rinse the seeds of most of their strings, sprinkle with salt or curry powder, roast in a single layer at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes on a sheet pan, for a snack

Chard stems are tender when sliced thin and cooked well, and stuffed with insoluble fiber. They help things run smoothly.

Citrus peels contains higher concentrations of flavonoids than the actual pulp. Just beneath the skin is the white pith, rich in pectin and other insoluble fibers, which improve satiety.

Squash seeds contain the potential of the whole plant. Crispy, spicy and crunchy, they supply something that’s often missing in good-for-you food: texture and flavor.  The seeds are protein, calcium and zinc rich.