Wilted Radish Greens

When cooking and preparing tubers like radishes, turnips, and beets, most people discard the green leafy tops. But the bright greens are just as delicious as the bulbous tuber—served raw as a salad (dressed simply with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper), or equally good as a side dish when cooked quickly until barely wilted. When prepping my radish salad this afternoon, I reserved the peppery leaves and stalks, and got two delectable dishes for the price of one—versatile and economical!

Ingredients
1 tsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Nigella seeds
2 cloves of Garlic, cut into thin slivers
2–3 fresh Green Chillies, cut into half lengthwise
1 lb [500 gms] Radish Greens, washed and roughly chopped
Salt (to taste)
Juice of ½ lemon

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat until smoking. Add nigella seeds and sputter for a few seconds. Add garlic and green chillies, and stir for about 1 min until they are lightly golden.
2. Add radish greens, sprinkle with salt, and cook until just wilted, about 2 mins. Turn off heat, add lemon juice, and let sit for 5 mins before serving.

Radish Salad with Dried Mint

I make variations of this simple salad all summer. You can tweak the recipe with whatever fresh produce is available. Even the dried mint can be substituted with fresh cilantro or parsley. It is a staple recipe that is a terrific complement to any grilled meat or fish dish.

Ingredients 

10–12 Radishes, trimmed, cut in half, and thinly sliced*
2 medium Yellow Peppers, diced
1 large Cucumber, peeled and diced
1½ tbsp Dried Mint, crushed
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1/8 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
2–3 fresh Green Chillies, minced
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea Salt (to taste)

1. In a large bowl, mix radish, peppers, and cucumber with dried mint, coriander, black pepper, green chillies, and lemon juice, and mix well. Store in a fridge for 30 mins to chill. 
2. Remove from fridge, add salt, toss well and serve immediately. 

 *TIP: Do not throw away the lovely green tops of the radishes! Reserve them for a bonus side dish—served raw as a salad (dressed simply with lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper), or as a warm side dish.