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Zero Waste Greens Pesto

Pesto
Pesto

Zero Waste Greens Pesto

Chef Leah Hays
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Appetizer, condiment, garnish, sauce
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 1 quart

Equipment

  • blender or mortar and pestle

Ingredients
  

  • 2 gallon bags of cleaned destemmed Carrot Tops Kale, Broccoli Greens (Any combination)
  • 4 cups Arugula
  • 2 cups Basil leaves
  • 1 cup Parsley leaves
  • ¾ cup Sunflower butter or 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 2-3 T Garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 T Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T Honey or agave
  • 2 cups Olive oil
  • to taste Salt and black pepper
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese Optional:

Instructions
 

  • Tougher greens (carrot tops, kale, broccoli…) need to be placed in a strainer and boiled in salted water for 3-5 minutes and chilled in an ice water bath immediately. Remove once cool directly into a blender or food processor.
  • Add all other ingredients except Olive oil (and cheese if adding). For pesto with a chunky texture, pulse mixture while gradually adding oil ¼ cup at a time until combined. For a smooth texture add ½ cup of oil and turn on blender or immersion blender and drizzle remaining oil slowly to emulsify.
  • If adding, fold in shredded cheese and pulse to desired consistency. Add 1 T salt and pepper and allow to meld for 5 minutes.
  • Taste check and add salt and pepper as needed. Also check the balance of sweetness, acidity, and mouthfeel of the oil with the texture.
  • Store up to 3 weeks in refrigerator or water bath can and seal for 10 minutes for shelf stable storage up to 1 year(without dairy products or nut oils)

Notes

Swirl with mascarpone cheese and serve with toasted baguette as an appetizer.
Toss with fresh cooked pasta and add a small amount of pasta cooking water.
Use as a pizza sauce with fresh cherry tomatoes and a fresh mozzarella.
Toss salad greens for a lovely salad.
Marinade chicken or steak before grilling.
Keyword 30 minute recipe, aromatic, dips for chips, fresh herbs, garlic, greens, pasta sauce, penny saving, salad greens, zero waste
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Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots

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Honey Roasted Beets and Carrots

Chef Leah Burback
Simple sweet preparation for a side dish that goes with almost anything. Use bright color combinations with colorful carrots and varied types of beets.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Breakfast, garnish, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish, tasting dinner
Cuisine American, French, Mediterranean
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb beets try a combination of candystripe(chiogga), golden, and dark red detroits
  • 1 lb carrots smaller multi colored stem on
  • ¼ cup local honey warm or room temperature
  • ¼ cup sunflower or olive oil high temp/smoke point
  • to taste salt and black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
  • Wash, and lightly scrub beets and carrots. Take care to scrape around the crown (stem point), and trim fibrous roots off.
  • Leave carrots whole about the size of your index finger, or cut down to similar size. Sort on a foil lined sheet tray by color to keep the lighter colors light.
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  • Cut beets in wedges from stem to root until about ½" thick. Place on baking tray with purple carrots if using.
  • Drizzle oil, honey salt and pepper over veggies and massage slightly to even coat veggies and avoid globs of honey.
  • Place in oven and roast until just start to see brown color on darker veggies and significantly browned lighter colors. Shake every so often to distribute oil and honey over the veggies.
  • Once cooked toss everything together and serve with your favorite main course.

Notes

Serve with your valentine’s day feast! Great with seared steaks, grilled chicken, smoked mushrooms, or serve as a breakfast with a fried egg on top. Pairs well with goat cheese and sweeter red wines.
Keyword appetizer, beetroot, beets, carrots, chopped salad, eat the rainbow, roasted
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Southern Braised Greens

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Southern Braised Greens

Chef Leah Burback
Braised greens have been traditionally made more approachable by the use of butter, bacon, brown sugar, garlic, vinegar, and spice. This recipe uses collard greens, but they are one of many tough bitter greens that contain great nutritional value while being tough to swallow. Enjoy this decadent braised recipe with your favorite southern entrees.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, condiment, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Comfort Food, Southern Soul
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • heavy bottomed wide stock pot (or rondeau)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 oz Butter or ghee (add 50% more if substituting for mushrooms)
  • ½ lb bacon or mushroms
  • 1 cup yellow onions diced
  • â…“ cup garlic rough chopped
  • 1 Tbsp red chile flakes adjust to preference
  • ¼ cup local raw honey
  • 1 Tbsp molasses, blackstrap
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 4 cups collard greens washed, destemmed, chopped into 2" squares (try other greens like beet, swiss chard, broccoli, kale, or a combination)
  • 1 quart stock or broth low sodium chicken or pork for meat, mushroom or veggie for meatless
  • to taste salt and black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat braising pot(rondeau) over medium heat. Add butter and bacon and saute until the fat renders out of the bacon and starts to get crispy. (or until mushrooms are browned)
  • Add in onions, garlic, and red chile flakes. Sauté until translucent and just starting to caramelize.
  • Stir in honey and molasses until thick and bubbly. Deglaze with apple cider vinegar and reduce down.
  • Start adding greens in large handfuls with 1 cup of stock and stir frequently. Add a new handful of greens with stock until all of both ingredients have been wilted and added.
  • Reduce to a low simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes and the liquid has created a syrup like sauce.
  • Check tenderness and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. Greens should not be tough to chew when the braising process is complete.

Notes

Try large kale leaves, broccoli greens, swiss chard leaves and stems, beet greens and stems, or squash leaves. This recipe will help break down greens high in vitamin k and a. Please use caution with foods high in vitamin k as they interfere with blood-thinning medication.
Keyword bacon, braising, butter, eat the rainbow, garlic, peasant dish, Slow Cooked, zero waste