Before you throw away those food scraps, take a second look. Are they edible? You might be surprised to learn that many stems, tops, and pulps can be used in delicious and healthy ways.

Carrot greens

When you buy carrots with the leafy green tops attached, don’t toss those greens in the trash. Carrot greens can be finely chopped and stirred into soups, salads, and stir fries. Blend them into pesto or juice them with other fruits and vegetables.

Beet greens

Most beets are sold with the greens intact. You can chop them and sauté them in olive oil and garlic, add them to soups and stews, or use them as fillings in stuffed peppers or vegetable lasagna. They can also be baked until crispy, like kale chips. Beet greens contain vitamins K and C and the carotenoid lutein, which is associated with eye health.

Cruciferous cores

When you’ve cut all the florets away, you can still use the core and stalk of vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. Shred them and use them in slaws, stir fries, or pasta salads. You can also use them to make homemade vegetable stock. Eating the whole vegetable will give you more vitamin K, vitamin C, and folate.

Juice pulp

If you make juice fresh at home, you are left with pulp that contains the fiber of the fruits and vegetables. Pulp from fruits like apples or pears can be stirred into yogurt or oatmeal. You can even use it as fillings for whole-grain cinnamon rolls. Vegetable pulp from carrots can be used in stuffings for peppers and eggplants, as a layer in vegetable lasagna, or in meatloaf.

Nut meal

Making nut milks is easy, but once you extract all the liquid, you are left with the nut meal. This meal contains protein and fiber. Store it in the refrigerator and sprinkle it over yogurt parfaits or salads. Incorporate it into spreads like pesto or pasta sauce. You can also use it in healthy desserts like granola bars or whole-grain cookies.

Sources

• National Resources Defense Council - Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.