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Modeled after a well-known NYC restaurant, this groundbreaking technique converts typically wasted outer salad leaves into a luxurious green “mayonnaise”. It’s an ingenious approach to minimize food waste while producing something flavorful and adaptable.

Why Repurpose External Lettuce Greens?

These outer greens serve as the plant’s protective packaging, guarding the tender inner leaves. While recycling vegetable trimmings is a basic sustainable habit, discovering new applications for them is even more impactful. Turning surplus food into fertile soil prevents landfill buildup, where it may release methane, a powerful climate concern.

This is rather radical if you consider over it: food rots and becomes that ideal soil to feed more plants, thereby closing this loop and respecting nature’s cycle of life.

Yet, with more than 30% surplus produce getting produced compared to needed, using precious ingredients efficiently is essential. Reducing waste not only conserves cash but also supports a more sustainable lifestyle.

This Herb-Infused “Mayonnaise” Recipe

The versatile formula functions with any variety of lettuce and nuts. By incorporating one entire egg, one eliminate the need to repurpose the extra egg white. This outcome is an creamy, rich dressing that works beautifully with salads, roasted vegetables, seared chicken, noodles, or grains.

Yields two

For the Green Emulsion (Yields about 200 grams)

• 100 grams unsalted butter
• 50g external salad greens from 2 little gems, rinsed and dried
• 20g shelled salted nuts – light-colored seeds like cashews assist maintain a vivid green, though whatever nuts will work
• One medium entire egg

To Make the Side

• Two little gem heads, halved longwise
• Cold-pressed oil, to taste
• Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, as desired
• One small handful fresh greens (such as chervil), sprigs picked whole, stalks finely minced

Steps

First making the emulsion. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, toss in the external salad greens, place a lid and wilt for approximately 60 seconds, mixing a couple times, until they have softened. Pour this mixture into the jug of a immersion blender, include the nuts and whole egg, then blend until creamy. As necessary, incorporate more nuts to achieve a thick texture. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

For assemble the salad, drizzle each lettuce portion with oil and lemon juice, then salt liberally. Dress with a tight pattern of the green mayonnaise, then top with the herbs. Place on two plates and serve right away.