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Modeled after a well-known NYC restaurant, this groundbreaking method converts often-discarded outer salad leaves into an luxurious green “mayonnaise”. This is a brilliant approach to reduce kitchen waste while creating something flavorful and adaptable.

The Reason Use External Salad Leaves?

Those external leaves are the plant’s natural wrapping, shielding the delicate inner leaves. Although composting vegetable scraps is a fundamental zero-waste practice, discovering creative applications for them is additionally beneficial. Turning excess food into fertile soil prevents landfill accumulation, where they can emit greenhouse gases, which is a powerful climate issue.

It’s rather innovative when you think over it: food rots and transforms into that ideal growing medium to feed more crops, thus completing the cycle and respecting nature’s process of growth.

Yet, with more than thirty percent extra produce being made than needed, using valuable resources efficiently is essential. Reducing leftovers not only conserves money but also promotes a more eco-friendly way of living.

The Herb-Infused Emulsion Recipe

The versatile recipe functions with whatever variety of salad greens and nuts. Through using a whole egg, you avoid the need to repurpose the extra white. The result is an smooth, rich sauce that pairs perfectly with greens, roasted veggies, grilled poultry, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

For the Green Emulsion (Yields approximately 200g)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams outer lettuce leaves of two little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20 grams peeled roasted nuts – white nuts such as blanched almonds help keep the vivid color, but whatever seeds can work
• One medium entire egg

For the Salad

• 2 romaine or butter heads, halved lengthways
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One generous bunch soft greens (such as parsley), sprigs left whole, stems finely chopped

Instructions

First making the emulsion. Heat the butter in a small pot, add the outer salad leaves, place a lid and wilt for about 60 seconds, stirring once or twice, until they have wilted. Transfer this mixture into a container of a immersion processor, include the pistachios and whole egg, then process till smooth. If needed, incorporate extra seeds to achieve the mayonnaise-like texture. Keep in a airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To prepare the salad, sprinkle each gem portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Coat with a tight drizzle of the herb emulsion, then scatter with the herbs. Place on two plates and enjoy right away.