Carrot greens & Cilantro Chimichurri (Spicy Carrot Greens Pesto)

When you grow or purchase a nice bunch of garden fresh carrots, what do you do with all the lovely feathery carrot greens? Why, make Chimichurri of course! Carrot tops taste similar to parsley; which is no surprise, as they are from the same family! Next time you have carrot tops, don't chuck them in the compost or worse yet, throw them in the trash heap. The feathery greens can be used just like parsley. 

We love to spoon the chimicurri over a bowl of steaming quinoa, brown rice or root veggies. Delicious mixed with couscous and cucumbers for a quick Tabbouleh! 

Note: Save the stems for the stock pot - they add a lot of carroty goodness to the broth!

Ingredients:

1 cup Carrot greens (only the leaves), packed

1 handful, Cilantro

1-2 Limes, juice

1/4 tsp Salt

1 clove Garlic

1 Serrano Chile

1/4 cup Shallots OR Red Onions, finely minced

2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Place carrot greens, cilantro, salt, lime juice, garlic and Serrano chile in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped; you may have to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Taste and add additional salt or lime juice if needed. Add the oil 1 Tbsp at a time and process until you have a nice mixture but not too smooth. Tip the onions in and pulse once or twice just to mix.

Scoop into a bowl and chill until needed. Serve over roasted or steamed veggies, cooked grains, pasta, as a spread for sandwiches, as topping for soups and salads, etc. Thin with more olive oil if needed. Will last in fridge for about 1 week or so.

Enjoy!