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Inspired by a well-known New York eatery, this creative technique converts usually thrown-out outer salad greens into an luxurious green “mayonnaise”. It’s an smart approach to minimize food waste while creating something flavorful and flexible.

The Reason Repurpose Outer Salad Leaves?

These outer leaves serve as nature’s protective wrapping, guarding the tender inside leaves. Although composting produce trimmings is a fundamental sustainable practice, finding creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into rich compost prevents dump accumulation, where they may release methane, a potent environmental issue.

This is quite radical when you consider over it: produce rots and becomes that ideal soil to nourish more plants, thus completing this cycle and honoring the process of growth.

However, given over 30% surplus food getting produced compared to needed, using valuable resources efficiently becomes essential. Minimizing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes a increasingly eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Green Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe works with any variety of salad greens and nuts. Through incorporating a entire egg, you avoid any hassle to repurpose the extra egg white. The outcome is a smooth, nutty dressing that works beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or grains.

Serves 2

For the Green Emulsion (Yields about 200g)

• 100 grams butter
• 50g outer salad greens of 2 romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – light-colored nuts like blanched almonds assist keep the bright color, though whatever nuts will do
• 1 small whole egg

For the Salad

• Two little gem lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch soft herbs (such as chives), sprigs picked intact, stalks thinly minced

Steps

First making the emulsion. Heat the fat in one medium saucepan, toss in the outer salad greens, place a lid and cook for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they have softened. Transfer this mixture into the jug of an stick processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then process until smooth. As necessary, incorporate more seeds to achieve a thick texture. Keep in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for as long as 3 days.

To assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with one zigzag pattern of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the herbs. Place on 2 dishes and enjoy right away.