My friendHayley Northis a retreat chef whose cooking is inspired by the Chinese “five elements” theory: fire, earth, metal, water and wood. Each element corresponds to a colour and an organ in the body (earth, for example, is yellow and linked to the spleen). Years ago, Hayley made me the most deliciously vibrant and earthy bright-red dip from kale, and today’s recipe is a homage to her nourishing, elemental approach, while also saving scraps from the bin.
I love the adage “eat the rainbow”. Yes, it’s a bit corny, but it works, and sometimes the simplest advice is really the best. Eating a variety of colourful plants increases nutrient diversity, which supports a healthy gut. These dips are a vibrant, low-waste way to add colour, fibre and flavour to your plate by using up whatever’s already in the fridge or even destined for the compost bin.
These dips can be as simple as just blending leftover boiled carrots with white beans, olive oil and lemon juice to create a bright orange spread, but here I’ve gone all in with vegetable scraps to prove a point: real discards such as pepper tops, radish greens and beetroot peelings are not only edible, but, with the application of a little love and care, they can be absolutely delicious.
My usual advice is not to peel vegetables at all, because it saves time and money, while retaining flavour and fibre. But if you do peel or trim, those scraps can still be saved and used. So, this is a blueprint rather than a strict recipe: each version follows the same base formula and can be adapted to whatever you have in the house. For a dinner party, I like to make a few different-coloured dips and serve them on a platter with crudites, rye bread or crackers.
Here are the four combinations I made:
Red – red pepper trimmings, red apple peel, cranberries, smoked paprika;
Yellow – squash skins, sweet potato peel, carrot tops and tails, turmeric, orange zest, sesame;
Green – broad bean pods, courgette tops, cucumber skin, coriander stalks, cardamom, cashew, pumpkin seeds;
Purple – beetroot peel, red cabbage skin, dates, cumin, sumac.
Base recipe (makes 1 batch, so multiply to make a rainbow)150g raw veg scraps(eg, pepper tops, beetroot peel, courgette ends, but choose one colour of vegetable per dip)130g cooked white beans(eg butter beans or cannellini), drained and liquid reserved2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp lemon juice, or vinegarSea salt, to taste
Optional extras and toppings (choose to suit your dip’s colour and flavour)1 small garlic clove, peeledUnwaxed citrus zest(lemon, lime, orange)2 tbsp tahini, or nuts2-4 dates, cranberries or goji berries1–2 tsp ground spices(smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, coriander, za’atar)Soft herb stalks and/or leaves(eg. mint, coriander, parsley), for toppingChilli flakes, or chopped fresh chilliToasted seeds, or dukkah or chopped herbs, to serve
Steam or blanch the vegetable leftovers or clean scraps for five minutes, sticking to one colour of vegetable per dip. Tip the steamed vegetables into a high-speed blender, add the cooked white beans, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt, then add a splash of the reserved bean liquid to help blend smoothly.
Depending on your choice of scraps and desired flavour, add any optional extras that will enhance the flavour and colour – garlic, citrus zest for punch, tahini or nuts for richness, dates, cranberries or dried apricots for sweetness, as well as ground spices and chilli flakes for red heat.
Blitz to a smooth, hummus-like consistency, adding more bean liquid if required, then taste and adjust for seasoning, as well as to balance the acidity, richness and sweetness. Serve as a dip or spread, topped with toasted seeds, chopped herbs or dukkah, if you like. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.