Carrot Top Pesto

You bought gorgeous carrots with those cute little green tops still attached. Now what? Surely you're not...going to...just toss them away, are you? No, of course not. Because they're good to eat, especially when you blend it all up into pesto with deliciously toasted nuts, savory cheese, a touch of garlic and herbs, and a drizzle of oil.

The key to eating carrot greens is to rinse well. Same goes for beet greens and radish tops. They tend to trap lots of grit, so if you don't want undesirably crunchiness in your bite, I'd recommend taking your time and rinsing thrice. Shake off all the residual water, then pat dry with a towel and you are now free to experiment with making your own best pesto.

I used toasted hazelnuts, but really, any nut could work here. (Almonds and pecans would be my second and third choices.) In keeping with the minimal waste theme, I used green onions that I had grown from cut root ends on my windowsill because that's what I had on hand, but you can use anything: basil or parsley for a more classic taste, or mint or cilantro for a more distinctive pop.

Give it a whizz until it's smooth, then toss in some pasta or roasted carrots and that's that!