Radical Radish Pesto

I talked about food waste before with my Banana Bread recipe and I hate to sound like a broken record but what I dislike even more is food waste. According to the FWRA an estimated 40% of food grown, processed and transported in the U.S. will never be consumed. When this food rots in landfills it contributes to methane, a potent green house gas. Millions of American and billions worldwide go with out food for at least several days out of every month. When you think about these facts its not that there isn’t enough food to feed the world, but rather it comes down to food distribution, food waste, and subsidized crops that are used to feed livestock rather then people.

First Vegetable Harvested From My Garden Each Spring

One person doesn't make a huge impact but if we all begin to utilize every part of a food (plant and animal) we do our part of changing the current system. Stems from kale, herbs, carrot tops, and onion peels are used to make stock. Lemon peels are saved to be preserved for later use in dressings and marinades. A few seeds can be saved for spring planting, plus winter squash seeds for roasting. But what about those spicy green tops of radishes? Well why not make a pesto!

This recipe has minimal ingredients, and several easy adaptations to fit your kitchens supply. It is also free of dairy, soy and can be made nut free if you are sensitive to these. Oh and its perfect on top of summer squash noodles, pizza, burgers, as a dressing etc.

Radish Green Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of radish leaves, stems removed
• 3 T Nutritional Yeast
• ¾ c nuts or seeds (I used pecans, but pine, almonds, pistachios and sunflower seeds work great too)
• 2 clove garlic, (optional to mince and sautéed in olive oil until golden)
• Juice of one lemon plus tsp of lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to get the consistency you like
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Optional 2 tsp of red pepper flakes for a little kick

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process in short pulses until smooth. You will likely have to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. This produces a thick pesto; add more oil and pulse again to get the consistency you prefer. (This can also be done with a mortar and pestle; making it a great workout.)
2. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and pack into a glass jar .
3. Optional Mix generous amount in with 2-3 spiralized summer squash and top with halved cherry tomatoes and fresh basil for a light dinner or side dish