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Modeled after a popular New York eatery, the groundbreaking method turns usually thrown-out external salad leaves into a velvety green “mayonnaise”. It’s an brilliant way to cut down on kitchen waste while making a condiment tasty and flexible.

The Reason Use External Salad Greens?

Those external leaves serve as nature’s protective packaging, shielding the tender inside lettuce. While recycling vegetable scraps is a basic zero-waste practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally beneficial. Converting excess ingredients into rich compost prevents dump buildup, where they may emit methane, which is a powerful climate issue.

It’s quite innovative when you think about it: produce rots and becomes the ideal soil to nourish further crops, thus completing this loop and honoring nature’s process of life.

Yet, given over thirty percent surplus food being made compared to required, consuming precious ingredients wisely is crucial. Minimizing leftovers not only saves money but also promotes the more eco-friendly lifestyle.

This Green “Mayonnaise” Recipe

This versatile recipe functions with any type of lettuce and nuts. Through incorporating one whole egg, you avoid the need to repurpose the leftover white. The outcome is a smooth, rich dressing that works beautifully with greens, roasted vegetables, seared poultry, pasta, or rice.

Serves 2

For the Green “Mayonnaise” (Makes approximately 200g)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g outer salad leaves from two romaine or butter lettuce, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted nuts – light-colored seeds such as blanched almonds help keep a bright green, but any nuts will do
• 1 medium entire egg

For the Salad

• 2 little gem lettuces, split lengthways
• Cold-pressed oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, to taste
• 1 small handful fresh herbs (such as dill), sprigs left whole, stems finely chopped

Instructions

First making the mayonnaise. Heat the butter in one small pot, add the external lettuce greens, cover and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they have softened. Transfer this mixture into the container of a immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend till smooth. If needed, incorporate more nuts to achieve a mayonnaise-like consistency. Keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for as long as three days.

For prepare the salad, sprinkle each lettuce half with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Dress with a tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two plates and serve immediately.