Try this bright and fresh Carrot Top Pesto for all your spread and dipping needs. While carrots are available all year round, they are best enjoyed fresh from the garden mid summer through fall. Carrot tops are usually discarded, but they are totally edible and have a faint taste of carrot while also having some bitter notes and a slight natural saltiness, similar to parsley!
Carrot tops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium. Use them in place of parsley in recipes. Combined with sprouted nuts and seeds, this bright and fresh Carrot Top Pesto is a great pairing for any cracker, pizza or charcuterie board.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups carrot tops and stems, chopped from about 8 carrots.
- ⅓ cup sprouted sunflower seeds
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- juice and zest from 1 lemon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Mindful Preparation:
- Carefully wash carrot tops to remove any dirt. Pick out and discard any dry, yellowed or unappetizing looking leaves. Dry in a salad spinner. Remove the very bottom of the stem, but use most of the stalk and all the leaves.
- Blend all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor until smooth. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. This sauce will keep for up to 1 week refrigerated.
Recipe Courtesy of Shani Cranston ~ Pioneer at hOMe Grown Living Foods