July is an abundant month for beautiful British vegetables.
If you subscribe to a vegetable box delivery scheme or even visit your local farm shop/ greengrocer then you may be lucky enough to get your hands on a few veggies with the leaves and tops still intact.
Having a bunch of carrots with vibrant green tops or beetroot with the leaves is the ultimate sign of freshness. This is great news from a nutritional perspective because the fresher the vegetable, the more nutrients it contains.
The green tops and additional leaves needn't be wasted either. These too are full of nutrients and with a bit of creativity can be turned into some super tasty dishes.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Pesto
A versatile and super tasty classic.
Suitable for: carrot tops, tomato leaves, wild garlic, watercress, kale, rocket, all manner of herbs
Recipe: 65g of nuts/ seeds such as pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, toasted in the oven for 10 mins, 1-2 large handfuls of greens, 1 tablespoon of water, a couple of pinches of sea salt, some freshly grated black pepper, 1 clove of garlic, 100 - 150ml of good quality olive oil (or rapeseed oil for a milder taste), juice of half a lemon, some freshly grated parmesan (optional)
Pop everything in a blender and whizz until you achieve the desired consistency. A little bit less or more oil may be needed dependant on the amount of greens used.
Have a look at: this superfood kale & cashew pesto recipe
What to do with it:
Best uncooked to allow all of the flavours to truly shine so add it last minute or dollop it on top of things.
use it as a salad dressing
stir into pasta
add a dollop on top of soup (you are welcome)
add extra flavour to meat
stir through roasted vegetables
Stir-frys, stews & chillis
All are great options for using up greens. Just stir them through towards the last 2-3 minutes of cooking and you are good to go.
Suitable for: onion tops, leaves from pretty much anything i.e. beetroot, broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi, carrots
Have a look at:
turkey stir-fry recipe (also works with vegetarian substitutions)
Chimichurri
This is a South American classic used to add flavour to steaks, fish and simply cooked chicken but it works well to punch up vegetarian/ vegan alternatives such as cauli steaks or roasted butternut squash too.
Suitable for: garlic & onion tops - finely chop both or either and halve the garlic quantity from the recipe
Recipe: Chimichurri recipe - this base works well with other herbs too
What to do with it: dollop on top of any dish, just don’t cook it
Smoothies
A nutritious way to start your day plus you can pretty much “hide” most greens.
Suitable for: broccoli leaves, beetroot tops, kohlrabi leaves, carrot tops in small quantities
Recipe: Berry Protein Smoothie
Enjoy!