Carrot-Top Pesto

Yield
4 Servings
Preparation time
15 minutes
Ingredients
1 large bunch of carrot-top greens, stems, and leaves
1 clove garlic
  Half a lemon (juiced)
1⁄3 cup fresh mint leaves
1⁄3 cup walnuts
2 green onions (greens only)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions

In a medium pot, boil 5 or so cups of water. Roughly chop carrot-top greens and toss them in the boiling water for about 60 seconds, then immediately strain and rinse with cold water. (This mellows their slight bitterness.) Place all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and beginning to form a paste, adding enough olive oil to loosen the pesto and make it scoopable. Serve hot or cold with raw or cooked vegetables, on crackers, atop carrot soup, or in pasta like a traditional pesto.

Notes

Per serving: 146 calories, 13.5 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 60 milligrams sodium, 5 grams total carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 4 grams protein.

Carrot greens (also called leaves and fronds) look a lot like parsley and taste a bit like it, too. Many herbs and greens can create a variety of pestos: arugula, parsley, basil, spinach, mint, kale, Swiss chard. With different combinations of nuts, cheeses, and oils, the possibilities are endless.