Cooking with Root Veg Tops Part I & Dairy/Soy-Free "Yogurt" sauce

 Beet, parsnip and radishes arrived in my kitchen. Their tops were just begging not to be limited to compost. Not that I have a compost yet, but starting  a worm bin is a 2013 resolution made, especially when your friend offers to provide you some of the critters. Making a bin seems actually a lot easier than I thought. Just need to pick up a non-transparent 10-12 qt box and something to put the box on top of so it is raised off the ground. My co-worker thought I might want to use styrofoam since some nights the temp has gotten to freezing. Hm.

You can pretty much treat the tops like spinach and separate the stems from the leaves if I need to cook them since stems usually take a tad longer.

Ways I used or want to use green tops:

•  in the oven-baked pakora last year
• this week made a simple stir fry mixed with my favorite non-dairy yogurt substitute as the sauce. (Google search found main recipes where beet greens pair nicely with yogurt)
• Chop up leaves and stems for leftover rice/rice flour okonomiyaki (a Japanese "whatever you like pancake/griddle pizza" recipe)
• I am inspired to try vegan tamales with spinach (or in our case, radish greens) with garlic. I was making tamales with butter before the detox which are delish but my stomach wasn't groaning later.
• Also wouldn't mind trying to blend greens into a savory GF-Dairy Free pancake batter
• In case you need more ideas, this blog has lots of veggie tops ideas for beets, radishes, and even carrots!  Vinegrettes dressing and tea with carrot leaves...never would have considered that!

ROOT VEGGIE TOPS SAUTEED WITH "YOGURT SAUCE"
"Yogurt" Sauce

I was trying to make a ricotta cheese substitute based on someone's recipe online that called for cashews, and after some playing with what I had on hand, I found it can make a yogurt or mayo substitute. I was using raw pine nuts. You can get a big bag from Costco. Although the nuts are imported from China. Not sure that I have seen more "local" source. Will keep my eyes out.

Anyway, take 1/2 cup of pine nuts and put in your food processor or Magic Bullet (or other brand) blender with food processor (flat) blade.  Put in a tablespoon of water and a tsp of lime juice. Blend until it has a thick sauce consistency. Add more water a little at a time or lime juice to taste.

No dairy, no soy yogurt/sour cream/mayo stunt-double!

Serving Ideas
Makes for a nice side on its own.

As a meal, I mixed my sauteed greens with some cooked-ground beef and tossed with quinoa-corn based pasta shells, served warm. It also made a comforting lunch on a chilly day with chicken cradled in corn tortillas.

Do you have a food related resolution?