Hi friends,

In the final stretch of 2024 and I am phasing into hibernation mode. Check soft pants, herbal teas, and being in-for-the-evening as I reflect on the happenings of the last year. Life changes, career changes, climate changes. We’ve seen a multitude of experience in 365 days and as I come to grips with my Spotify Wrapped, I’m appreciating my multi-facetedness in an era of uncertainty. Like Post Malone’s successful foray into country, I too am evolving my brand in the name of new twang.

In the midst of holiday recipe testing and researching new flavor pairings, I’ve found such focus in creating this work. If you’ve been reading CLC from early days, I so appreciate your time and energy and if you’re new to this publication, welcome, and I can’t wait to connect. Y’all are what makes this endeavor worthwhile. For every event you’ve shown up to, every recipe you’ve tried and shared, every comment or quip, this community has been a vital, meaningful foundation. Thank you <3

I’m so excited to share the launch of the Closed Loop Cooking Club! A project months in the making, I'm so proud to share. With weekly, subscriber-only recipes and meal plans, we’ll reduce food waste and make change in the kitchen, together. And with every subscription you’ll be supporting a women-owned, intersectional, climate-driven business that allows CLC to keep creating meaningful content. (And there's a lot of work that goes into running a food platform, phew!) If you’ve been following this letter there’s a good chance you want to eat more plants and build community in your low waste practice. I’m here for all of it. 

So y’all, for $12 a month I’d like to invite you to join me in some seriously good mood food. And heck, tell a friend for me. For all my early birds, if you sign up by this Saturday you can try out the Club for the first month, on me, with this link! You’ll be able to share feedback and ask me all your improv cooking questions. Can’t wait to see ya there. Not ready for the Club? Not to worry. This CLC Weekly newsletter will always be free to read!

To (gift) wrap it up, this week I’m sharing out the CLC underconsumption holiday guide. A way to keep our purchases intentional, community oriented, and with the planet in mind. Scroll on for more inspiration and as always–

Stay hungry,
Hawnuh Lee | Founder, Closed Loop Cooking

Broken lasagna noodle soup.

• Getting cozy with this lentil rich, broken lasagna noodle soup.

• Reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry this month and looking out for more Little Free Libraries.

• Tell everyone you know about this plastics policy decision.

• CEO of Too Good To Go, Mette Lykke’s take on reducing food waste.

• I’m starting my winter mornings (and afternoons) off right with this package-free granola. Enjoy with homemade oat milk.

• The Catalytic Grant Fund is taking applications for on-farm food loss ideas.

• If you grew up in an ingredients household, you get it.

• Just discovered Homegrown–queing up in between cheesy holiday movies.

Package free granola.

The underconsumption holiday gift guide 🎁

Updated by Hawnuh Lee and inspired by an earlier CLC article from Kaitlyn Chock

As 2024 comes to a close, I’m considering how best to connect with friends and family. I’m avoiding excess stuff and putting time and energy into handmade gifts, experiences, and mindful purchases. What is the longevity of the things we exchange come holiday season? I hope we can all lean into a less-is-more holiday and make memories, together. In lieu of a traditional list, here is the official Closed Loop Cooking plant-based, low waste holiday gift guide.

Set up a cookie swap

A great way to get the group together, spend an afternoon exchanging homemade sweets (cookie forward but any treat will do!) and potluck style, swap eats. I love a holiday cookie trade for the low effort, high reward, and the chance to connect further with those closest to you over baked goods. Try out these miso + black sesame rice krispies, rosemary chocolate chip cookies, or this pecan date cardamom bark for your next event.

Gift a hot cocoa or tea kit

Use up those extra glass jars on hand and make a cozy drink kit. For hot cocoa, start with a base of cocoa powder (or cacao or carob), and add in a sweetener (coconut sugar, cane sugar…) in a ratio between half and equal parts to your cocoa base and add in any fancy flavorings. Sea salt, vanilla bean powder, cinnamon, instant coffee, chocolate chips, marshmallows or powdered coconut milk.

For your tea kit, fill a smaller jar with tea leaves or calming herbs / ingredients like chamomile flowers, jasmine flowers, skullcap, lemon balm, mint, passionflower, rooibos and valerian root. Make nice labels to showcase ingredients and holiday spirit. Adding in lavender or rose buds give another lift with a lovely floral scent.

Throw in a special thrifted mug to round it all out!

Create A Recipe Book

Compiling a DIY cookbook is a meaningful way to connect. Try sharing recipes of meals you’ve made for your friends or favorite foods they love, or take family recipes and compile them into a book format. Whether scrapbook style or something designed on Canva, you can share stories of why you included each recipe and what each meal means to you to make a heartfelt gift. Level up and have your recipient choose something for you to prepare together.

Give the Gift of A Class or a Subscription

Share the gift of learning. Encourage your friend or family member to try something new. (Even better when it’s together!) There are a multitude of virtual or IRL classes available you can gift someone. If they’re interested in plant-based cooking they could book a class with CLC or join the CLC club! You could help them learn to make babka, pick up dance, or try a new skill. Any number of subscriptions or classes to help you connect and build long-lasting experiences.

Mix A Playlist

A digital mix-tape is a thoughtful way to walk someone down memory lane. Choose songs that remind you of them, that were playing during significant moments in your relationship or introduce them to new jams. If you want, you can also include a note or story about why you chose each song. Cue Post Malone’s entire EP.

Make a Card

Handwritten letters or postcards are incredibly special. Fun to receive even more fun to write and decorate.With just a stack of plain white cardstock you can get abstract with watercolor, markers, cut paper, and if you’re feeling spicy, glitter. Or, make an event out of this and get a group of friends together and add a white elephant secret santa into the mix.  

Shop local

Where possible, support your independent stores before hitting up the big retailers. Keeping your dollars local facilitates community and keeps those circular economy arrows moving. Places like Way of Being are a great option for your next gift find.

Gift sustainable swaps

Help friends and family make environmentally easy choices and trade in single use habits for long-term ones! Think a set of reusable paper towels for your friend who cooks or decorate an upcycled travel mug to replace that paper cup coffee kick. Sometimes it just takes the right gift to make a low waste practice stick.

Use Furoshiki wraps

This package-free, Japanese fabric method of gift wrapping uses fabric to conceal presents. A simple approach to gift exchanging, it’s a lovely, low impact way to reduce holiday waste. There are lots of ways to wrap a furoshiki cloth depending on the shape of the item and the cloth itself, but the basic method is this:

1. Lay the fabric out flat.

2. Place the item near one corner.

3. Fold the corner over the item and roll toward the opposite corner until you have one long wrap. 

4. Flip the wrap so the loose corner is up, then fold the long sides in and make a knot.

You can also watch Mari Kondo do this technique here!

Here’s to celebrating mindfully this season!

With bows on.

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Have an idea we should feature in the newsletter? Want to work with us? Drop a line at [email protected]. We can’t wait to see what y’all cook up next! #closedloopcooking