How many of you throw away parts of vegetables simply because you don’t know what to do with it, or you think it shouldn’t be eaten? Guilty. As. Charged. Well, have no fear, because I have come across some great info from my fav chef, Rachael Ray ( https://www.rachaelraymag.com/), on how to use those parts that are usually trashed immediately. This topic really sparked my interest, so I did some more research to expand on it a bit. And news flash: these “inedible” parts are not only edible, but also jam-packed with nutrients!

Carrot Tops

Chop up these babies and sprinkle them into soups and salads. They are also great to use as a garnish on grilled meats. Pesto lover? Use the carrot greens instead of basil for neat spin on your ordinary pesto sauce. Carrot tops taste like a peppery parsley.

Broccoli Stems

Use the “tree trunks” raw to add crunch to salads and stir-fries, or slow-cook them in soup or even tomato sauce to bring out their sweet flavor. You can also cut them into rounds and roast them! Broccoli stems taste like broccoli, but milder with a slight cabbage flavor.

Radish Greens

These are great to use just as you would use spinach. Sauté with EVOO and garlic and eat as a side dish, or stir them into pasta until warm and wilted. Feeling fancy? You can actually add the raw greens to your plain Jane grilled cheese sandwich, or use them a pizza topping (raw or cooked). Radish greens are similar to Swiss chard or spinach, just a little more bitter and bite.

Celery Leaves

Add to salad greens, or add them to your chicken soup for a deeper, more enhanced vegetable flavor. Celery leaves taste like celery, just more concentrated.

Potato Peels

Making homemade French fries? Awesome, but don’t throw away those peels! You can actually fry them in oil and serve with a dipping sauce of your choice and voilà! You have little potato crisps!

Turnip Tops

Turnip tops are great to add to sautéed veggies and salads. They have a pungent taste, similar to raw cabbage or radishes.

Cauliflower Leaves

Most of the cauliflower greens are stripped and thrown away before the cauliflower even makes it to market. You can ask your local farmers’ market to save them for you and use them like you would turnip tops. Also add them to your roasted cauliflower pasta (yes, topping pasta with roasted cauliflower is totally a thing now). Cauliflower leaves have an earthy green taste, similar to chard or kale.

For more details, check out http://dish.allrecipes.com/how-to-eat-root-to-stem-to-tops-waste-not-want-a-lot/

Please share in the comments how you eat your “whole” veggies! I’d love to hear from you!