Finally, after centuries of slowly hacking away at natural resources, waste-free living has become très chic! And, with that, I give you three recipes that use up those vegetable scraps you might be used to tossing (or, hopefully, composting).
Roasted Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
Ingredients:
1 bunch carrots, tops on
2 tablespoons olive oil
Carrot top pesto:
1 bunch carrot tops (1-2 cups)
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds
¼ cup olive oil
Photo by Becky Hughes
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Scrub and dry carrots, then coat in olive oil and season to taste.
3. Roast carrots until golden brown and soft on the inside, about 45 minutes.
4. In a food processor, pulse the carrot tops, garlic and sunflower seeds until ground and combined.
5. Add in lemon juice and drizzle in olive oil while pulsing until desired consistency is reached.
6. Once carrots are cooled slightly, toss with a few tablespoons of pesto.
The rest of the pesto is great on pasta, with eggs – anywhere you’d use a traditional pesto.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Warm Beet Salad with Beet Greens & Stems
Ingredients:
1 bunch beets (I used half golden, half red), stems and leaves on
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup cooked grains (I used leftover quinoa)
½ cup goat or feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Scrub beets thoroughly, wrap individually in aluminum foil, and roast on a baking sheet for about an hour, until a knife cuts through the foil and beet flesh easily. Once cooled slightly, cut beets into quarters.
3. Separate the stems from the greens. Wash and dry both,
4. In a medium pan, sautée onion in olive oil until golden, then add beet stems and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until stems become soft.
Photo by Becky Hughes
5. Add in greens, seasoning to taste, and cook until greens are mostly wilted.
6. Add cooked grains and quartered roasted beets to the pan and toss to combine.
7. Transfer into serving bowls and top with crumbled cheese.
Photo by Becky Hughes
Broccoli Stem & Feta Hummus
Ingredients:
1 large head of broccoli, stalk on
¼ cup feta cheese
1 large garlic clove (roasted, if possible)
Drizzle of tahini
¼ cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Peel broccoli stem and chop roughly.
2. Add all ingredients except oil to food processor and pulse until combined.
3. Drizzle oil while pulsing mixture until combined.
4. Enjoy with crudité, crackers, pita chips, on crostini… Just enjoy.
Photo by Becky Hughes
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Photo by Becky Hughes, Design by Amber Chen