Carrot Top Pesto

Yes, you can eat carrot tops! It brings me great sadness that these little guys are thrown away by manufacturers and consumers (myself included!). Over the past year, I have learned a great deal on sustainable food practices -- zero-waste and low-waste included. Composting is a great alternative to throwing scraps in the garbage, but utilizing veg and keeping them out of the compost is an even better option!

Carrot tops can be used as a mild herb or vegetable in a multitude of ways. Roast them in the oven along with the carrots! Snip them into a salad! Fold them into your morning eggs! Cook them in your vegetable soup! The list goes on and on.

Today I will be sharing with you my recipe on carrot top pesto. Keep in mind that this list of ingredients is quite loose. Don't have pine nuts? Substitute for almonds, walnuts, or pecans. Want to add another level of flavor? Add in a pinch of your favorite spice!

One last thing before we get started. Give the carrot tops a good scrub! They will most likely have lots of dirt and grime hiding in the creases of the stalk.

Ingredients:

- 1- 1 1/2 cups carrot tops (from 5 carrots), washed and dried

- 1/3 cup pine nuts

- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

- 2 small garlic cloves

- zest of one lemon

- big pinch of salt

- freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

- extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1) Add pine nuts, garlic, carrot tops, parmesan, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper into a food processor.

2) Blitz until combined.

3) Slowly stream in olive oil until well combined. The pesto can be on the thicker or thinner side, depending on how you enjoy it.

4) Use at as a sauce, dip, or topping. Enjoy!