Think carrot tops are only good for rabbits? Think again! The greens are edible, nutritious and delicious. For this pesto, sunflower seeds are used so it’s nut free. With the addition of the ackees there is no need for cheese or additional oil.
Same setup as the ackee basil pesto that served as the base “sauce” for the “Ital Enuh” vegan pizza. Instead of basil I used the carrot greens and omitted the nutritional yeast.
Carrot Greens – Nutrients & Taste
Carrot tops are said to be high in potassium and a good source of nutrients and minerals including: Vitamin A, C and K. The flavour is often described as grassy, slightly bitter/astringent or similar to parsley. In my opinion, their slight “peppery” bite make them reminiscent of arugula. I love that the ackee in the pesto helps to mellow out bite. Additionally you could blanch the carrot greens before using them in the pesto. For me I don’t mind a little bitterness. Growing up in Jamaica old people always said “bitter tings good for your heart for cleansing your body”. As such, I have my bitters as natures medicine 😉
You can use any nut or seed you like in place of the sunflower seeds. If neither nuts nor seeds are your thing use white beans or chickpeas instead. Your resulting pesto would be creamier and closer to hummus in texture.
With one bunch of carrots, I made this Carrot Top & Ackee Pesto and Roasted Carrot Dip with Ackee. You can serve these as dips or spread on sandwiches, in wraps, dolloped in soup or used as a pasta sauce.
Have you ever had carrot tops? How do you prepare them?
As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. If you make this or any of the recipes from this site be sure to @amazingackee and #amazingackee so I can see your posts across social media.
Until next time, thanks for stopping by ☺️
Carrot Top & Ackee Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups Thoroughly washed & Roughly chopped carrot greens (yield from about 1lb of carrots)
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1/3 cup Sunflower seeds
- 1 cup Parboiled Ackee
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Blend all ingredients together in food processor till smooth.
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Add a bit more lemon juice or a bit of water if a thinner consistency is desired.
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Spread into serving or storing container and store with plastic pressed against the surface of the pesto until ready to use.
Recipe Notes
Tip:
You can substitute any seed or nut you like. You could also use white beans or chickpeas instead
Keep covered, the mixture will oxidize quickly when exposed to air
