4 recipes to take advantage of radish leaves

Pesto, soup, a smoothie… You can do this and more with radish leaves. We tell you how to take advantage of this part of the radishes that, otherwise, would end up in the organic waste.

• The leaves of radishes
• Recipes with radish leaves
• 1. Green radish pesto
• 2. Green smoothie with radish leaves
• 3. Radish leaf soup
• 4. Radish leaf chips
• More ideas for using radish leaves

You can eat the leaves of some vegetables, such as carrots, beets and also radish leaves. Of course, the fact that the leaves of these vegetables are edible does not apply to all the others. So, it is always necessary to inform yourself in advance before processing the leaves of vegetables.

THE LEAVES OF RADISHES

We are going to present several uses for radish leaves, because in this case the leaves are too good to throw away.

To ensure that radishes and leaves are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides, we recommend that you buy organic vegetables.

Planting, caring for and collecting radishes is not so difficult: you can do it yourself, even if you have little experience in gardening.

You can buy regionally grown radishes from April to October. You should only use fresh radish leaves for recipes, because the more tender, the tastier the recipes will be.

RECIPES WITH RADISH LEAVES

1. GREEN RADISH PESTO

INGREDIENTS FOR 1 PERSON

• 1 bunch radish leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 organic lemon
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Wash the radish leaves and chop them into large pieces.
2. Peel the garlic clove.
3. Squeeze half of the organic lemon.
4. Place the radish leaves in the processor or in a tall bowl if you use a hand mixer, along with garlic, lemon juice, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Optionally, you can roast sunflower seeds before using them. To do this, heat them in a pan without adding oil.
5. Process all the ingredients into a creamy pesto.
6. Season the green radish pesto with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the pesto into a clean glass jar and cover with oil. Pesto is kept in the fridge for about a week.

2. GREEN SMOOTHIE WITH RADISH LEAVES

INGREDIENTS FOR 1 PERSON

• 1 handful of radish leaves
• 1 banana
• 1/2 organic lemon
• 100 ml naturally cloudy apple juice
• 100 ml water

PREPARATION:

1. Wash the radish leaves and chop them into large pieces.
2. Peel the banana and cut it into pieces.
3. Squeeze half of the lemon.
4. Put all the ingredients in a processor and mix them in a fine smoothie. If you do not have a processor, you can do it with the hand mixer.

You can try different variations of the green radish smoothie, for example, with other types of fruits. Smoothies are always a good way to take advantage of fruit that is no longer fresh.

3. RADISH LEAF SOUP

Radish leaves have a lot to offer, not only raw, but also cooked. For example, in a creamy soup that you can serve as a starter or accompanied by fresh bread as a light main course.

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 PEOPLE

• Tender and fresh leaves of about 20 radishes
• 1 onion
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 medium potato
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 cup vegetable cream
• Salt
• Pepper

PREPARATION:

1. Peel and chop the onion and potato.
2. Wash and drain the radish leaves.
3. Sauté onions in oil until transparent.
4. Add the chopped potato and pressed garlic and sauté briefly.
5. Deglaze with the vegetable broth, add the bay leaf and cook over low heat, covered, for 15-20 minutes until the potato is soft.
6. Remove the bay leaf and add the cream.
7. Add the radish leaves.
8. As soon as the leaves have lost their shape puree the soup.
9. Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes, taste and rectify salt and pepper if needed.

4. RADISH LEAF CHIPS

You may have already tried homemade fries with zucchini as a low-calorie alternative to high-fat and caloric supermarket products. But did you know that you can also make a crunchy snack with radish leaves?

Radish leaf chips are suitable as an original decoration for salads or sauces. But you can also enjoy them as usual as a crunchy snack.

The preparation is very easy, you only need a few ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

• Clean and fresh radish leaves without imperfections
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• (Other spices optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Wash the radish leaves and drain them well or dry them gently with a cloth.
2. Place the leaves individually on a tray lined with baking paper.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste.
4. Roast in the oven at 180 °C (with circulating air if possible) for a few minutes until crispy.

MORE IDEAS FOR USING RADISH LEAVES

In addition, you can use radish leaves as follows:

• Well washed, as an ingredient in salads.
• As an ingredient in other soups.
• Finely chopped in vegetable dishes or with chips.
• Fried in oil with onion, salt and pepper as garnish