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Inspired by a popular New York restaurant, the groundbreaking technique transforms typically wasted external salad leaves into a luxurious green emulsion. It’s an brilliant way to reduce kitchen waste while producing a condiment flavorful and flexible.

Why Use Outer Salad Greens?

These outer greens are the plant’s natural wrapping, shielding the delicate inside lettuce. Although recycling vegetable scraps is a fundamental sustainable practice, discovering creative uses for them is additionally impactful. Turning surplus ingredients into fertile soil avoids landfill accumulation, where it can emit greenhouse gases, a potent environmental concern.

It’s rather radical if you think about it: produce decomposes and transforms into that perfect growing medium to nourish further crops, thereby closing the loop and respecting the cycle of growth.

Yet, given more than 30% surplus produce being made compared to needed, consuming precious resources efficiently is crucial. Minimizing waste not only conserves money but also promotes the more eco-friendly way of living.

The Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The adaptable formula functions with any type of salad greens and seeds. By incorporating one whole egg, one eliminate any hassle to repurpose the extra egg white. This outcome is a smooth, rich sauce that works perfectly with salads, roasted vegetables, grilled poultry, noodles, or rice.

Serves two

To Make the Herb “Mayonnaise” (Yields about 200 grams)

• 100 grams butter
• 50 grams outer salad leaves from 2 little gems, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 20 grams shelled roasted nuts – white nuts like cashews assist maintain a bright green, though whatever seeds will work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Salad

• Two romaine or butter lettuces, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, as needed
• Fresh lime juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small bunch fresh herbs (such as dill), leaves picked whole, stalks thinly chopped

Steps

Begin by preparing the mayonnaise. Heat the fat in a small pot, add the outer lettuce leaves, place a lid and wilt for about a minute, stirring a couple times, till they’ve wilted. Transfer the mixture into a container of a stick blender, include the nuts and egg, then process till creamy. If needed, incorporate extra seeds to achieve a thick texture. Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

To prepare the dish, sprinkle each lettuce portion with olive oil and lemon juice, then season generously. Coat with a tight pattern of the herb mayonnaise, then scatter with the greens. Arrange on two dishes and enjoy right away.