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Drawing from a well-known NYC eatery, this creative method converts typically wasted external salad leaves into an smooth green “mayonnaise”. It’s a ingenious way to cut down on food waste while producing something delicious and adaptable.

The Reason Use External Salad Greens?

Those external leaves serve as the plant’s natural packaging, guarding the delicate inside leaves. Although recycling produce scraps is a fundamental sustainable habit, discovering new uses for these parts is even more impactful. Turning excess ingredients into rich soil prevents landfill buildup, where it can emit methane, which is a potent climate concern.

It’s quite radical when you consider over it: produce decomposes and becomes the perfect soil to nourish more crops, thereby completing this loop and honoring nature’s process of life.

However, given more than thirty percent extra produce being made than required, consuming valuable ingredients wisely is crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only saves cash but also supports a increasingly sustainable lifestyle.

The Green Emulsion Recipe

This versatile formula works with whatever type of lettuce and seeds. Through incorporating one entire egg, one eliminate any hassle to use up the leftover egg white. This result is an creamy, rich dressing that works beautifully with salads, grilled veggies, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Yields 2

To Make the Herb Emulsion (Yields approximately 200 grams)

• 100g butter
• 50g external salad leaves from 2 little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20g shelled roasted nuts – light-colored nuts like pine nuts assist keep the vivid color, though any seeds will do
• One small entire egg

For the Side

• 2 romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed olive oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• 1 small bunch fresh herbs (like dill), leaves picked intact, stems finely chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in a small pot, toss in the external lettuce greens, place a lid and cook for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, till they’ve softened. Transfer this mixture into the container of an immersion processor, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend till creamy. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve the mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

To prepare the dish, drizzle each lettuce portion with olive oil and acid, then salt generously. Dress with one tight drizzle of the green mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Place on two plates and serve immediately.