By Chelsea Digby

Recently I found myself watching an episode of Cooks vs. Cons on Food Network during my lunch break at work. I had never seen it before being that I don’t have cable at home (Bunny ears, for the win!), but the basic gist of the show is that there are 4 competitors, 2 professional chefs and 2 posers, competing to win some money, and along the way you find out who is the real deal and who is just faking their way through it.

The ladies who share my lunch hour were all going back and forth throwing out their ideas of who was a REAL chef. I had more than a hunch who were the professionals based on one solid giveaway—there were 2 guys who kept finishing their dishes with microgreens. Not too many at-home-cooks have been exposed to these greens packed with tons of flavor, much less are they in the habit of throwing them on top of their catfish filets. Luckily, microgreens are more accessible than ever before with local markets and grocery stores making a real effort to offer their shoppers a variety of them, which is great for us, the “cons”, at home.

There tends to always be some sort of microgreen in our refrigerator, so I try to incorporate them however I can. It was only in the last couple of years that I was introduced to them, but in that time, I have tried to be as creative as possible to not let any go to waste. Some uses have been more successful than others, but some microgreen additions have exponentially enhanced what might otherwise be a normal Wednesday night supper.

Below are some of the ways I have used microgreens at home:

Some other ways I have used micro greens at home include homemade pesto, in & on quiches, on tacos, on fish, in jams, and the list goes on and on. There are also some great suggestions in previous blog posts illustrating a chopped chef salad using micro greens an d also oysters which were topped with micro green flavored butters! My next plan is to try my hand at micro basil whipped cream to dollop on top of some strawberry shortcake (I might even macerate the strawberries with some micro basil to get some extra flavor)! If you have any ideas on how to use micro greens at home, I’d love to hear them. Trust me, I’m always looking for more ideas.

Lastly, for those of you wondering, a “con” won that episode of Cooks vs. Cons. If you ask me, the take away from that episode is that there isn’t any reason we can’t do what the professionals can! So the next time you’re at Robért Fresh Market, Holly Grove Market, or Restaurant Depot, grab those microgreens and give something new a try! Maybe your family will think it’s better than what they get at their favorite restaurant (but we won’t tell that to the professionals)!