Out of lettuce? Make this leftovers salad from stuff in your fridge right now

Out of lettuce? Make this leftovers salad from stuff in your fridge right now


I loved writing the leftovers section in The Migraine Relief Plan. I was inspired by Kathleen Flinn’s book The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, and have since gotten involved locally in reducing food waste. The best way I can help as a writer and blogger is to keep writing and talking about it on Facebook Live, where I cook in the Recipe Renovator kitchen twice a week. Come check it out on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 am PT / 10 am MT / 11 am CT / 12 pm ET (check here for the time if you’re outside of North America).

Did you know that America throws away 40% of the edible food we produce? How is that possible? Some is due to spoilage, but far more is because consumers have come to expect “perfect” produce that all looks the same. If you’ve ever grown anything edible in your garden, you know that uniformity is not the name of the game. Check in your area for CSAs or other companies selling ugly or imperfect produce and ask your local store managers to experiment carrying it. It’s usually sold for a discount!

We can’t blame it all on the producers, though, because we (all) throw away on average 30% of the food we bring home. That’s the leftovers on your restaurant plate that don’t make it home, or do make it home and are forgotten, and all the fresh foods we accidentally let go to waste once we buy them. After reading Kathleen’s book I started estimating the cost of the food I was throwing away and working towards reducing that. I’ll give you tips and recipes in my upcoming book for reducing this problem, but for today how about a lettuce-free salad? This also uses up the small amount of mustard you’ll find at the bottom of a jar.

Ever want a fresh salad only to find that you are out of lettuce? No worries… read on.

Suitable for:

all diets

Out of lettuce? Make this leftovers salad from stuff in your fridge right now

You might also like:

Raw rainbow noodle salad with maple syrup from Craving Something Healthy
Shaved asparagus salad with crispy shallots and fried egg from Buzzfeed
Charred vegetable salad from Cooking Light
Carrot-orange salad

Out of lettuce? Make this leftovers salad from stuff in your fridge right now

No-lettuce leftovers salad

Out of lettuce? Make this leftovers salad from stuff in your fridge right now
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 1 serving

Ingredients
  

  • 1 carrots spiralized
  • 2 radishes thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup celery leaves
  • 1/4 cup zucchini or other bits of vegetables

Leftovers mustard dressing

  • 1 tbsp mustard (prepared) any kind, in the bottom of the jar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Spiralize a carrot or zucchini as the base of your salad. If you don't have a spiralizer, use a peeler like I do in the video to create carrot ribbons. Thinly slice any other vegetables you have, including the end pieces after spiralizing, the celery leaves, radishes, etc. Build your plate.
  • If you have any odds and ends of fresh herbs, chop them and add them too!
  • Add oil and vinegar to the mustard jar and shake well until emulsified. Drizzle over the salad and enjoy.