How to turn veg scraps into a delicious dip – recipe | Vegetables

My good friend Hayley North is a retreat chef whose cooking is impressed by the Chinese language “5 parts” principle: hearth, earth, metallic, water and wooden. Every factor corresponds to a color and an organ within the physique (earth, for instance, is yellow and linked to the spleen). Years in the past, Hayley made me essentially the most deliciously vibrant and earthy bright-red dip from kale, and immediately’s recipe is a homage to her nourishing, elemental strategy, whereas additionally saving scraps from the bin.Rainbow vegetable scrap dipsI love the adage “eat the rainbow”. Sure, it’s a bit corny, however it works, and typically the only recommendation is de facto the most effective. Consuming a wide range of vibrant crops will increase nutrient range, which helps a wholesome intestine. These dips are a vibrant, low-waste approach so as to add color, fibre and flavour to your plate through the use of up no matter’s already within the fridge and even destined for the compost bin.These dips will be so simple as simply mixing leftover boiled carrots with white beans, olive oil and lemon juice to create a shiny orange unfold, however right here I’ve gone all in with vegetable scraps to show some extent: actual discards comparable to pepper tops, radish greens and beetroot peelings aren’t solely edible, however, with the applying of a bit love and care, they are often completely scrumptious.My regular recommendation is to not peel greens in any respect, as a result of it saves money and time, whereas retaining flavour and fibre. However if you happen to do peel or trim, these scraps can nonetheless be saved and used. So, it is a blueprint fairly than a strict recipe: every model follows the identical base formulation and will be tailored to no matter you could have in the home. For a cocktail party, I wish to make a couple of different-coloured dips and serve them on a platter with crudites, rye bread or crackers.Listed here are the 4 mixtures I made:Crimson – pink pepper trimmings, pink apple peel, cranberries, smoked paprika;Yellow – squash skins, candy potato peel, carrot tops and tails, turmeric, orange zest, sesame;Inexperienced – broad bean pods, courgette tops, cucumber pores and skin, coriander stalks, cardamom, cashew, pumpkin seeds;Purple – beetroot peel, pink cabbage pores and skin, dates, cumin, sumac.Base recipe (makes 1 batch, so multiply to make a rainbow)150g uncooked veg scraps (eg, pepper tops, beetroot peel, courgette ends, however select one color of vegetable per dip)130g cooked white beans (eg butter beans or cannellini), drained and liquid reserved2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp lemon juice, or vinegarSea salt, to tasteOptional extras and toppings (select to fit your dip’s color and flavour)1 small garlic clove, peeledUnwaxed citrus zest (lemon, lime, orange)2 tbsp tahini, or nuts2-4 dates, cranberries or goji berries1–2 tsp floor spices (smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, za’atar)Tender herb stalks and/or leaves (eg. mint, coriander, parsley), for toppingChilli flakes, or chopped recent chilliToasted seeds, or dukkah or chopped herbs, to serveSteam or blanch the vegetable leftovers or clear scraps for 5 minutes, sticking to at least one color of vegetable per dip. Tip the steamed greens right into a high-speed blender, add the cooked white beans, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt, then add a splash of the reserved bean liquid to assist mix easily.Relying in your alternative of scraps and desired flavour, add any non-obligatory extras that may improve the flavour and color – garlic, citrus zest for punch, tahini or nuts for richness, dates, cranberries or dried apricots for sweetness, in addition to floor spices and chilli flakes for pink warmth.Blitz to a easy, hummus-like consistency, including extra bean liquid if required, then style and alter for seasoning, in addition to to steadiness the acidity, richness and sweetness. Function a dip or unfold, topped with toasted seeds, chopped herbs or dukkah, if you happen to like. Retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.