Mean As Green Dressing
This holiday season I am trying to lay off the creamy mayo a bit - we seem to go through a jar a week in our house of two!
This dressing offers a much lighter option to dress those dainty salad leaves.
It can, and is being used on a multitude of things at our place and I can't wait to share it with you!
With this dressing’s hearty garlic kick it is possibly the best and easiest way to get a good dose of raw garlic in your diet.
Fresh garlic is considered to be the most effective for strong antibacterial and antifungal action as the enzyme allinase required for converting alliin to allicin is destroyed through cooking. The end product, allicin has beneficial anti-inflammatory and anticancer actions.
Green herbs are going to provide you with an antioxidant hit, as well as looking fresh and good for you!
Herbs like parsley and coriander are potent chelators which mean they can help to mobilize heavy metals to assist removal from the body. Amazing huh?!
Thyme, sage and rosemary will give you antibacterial and antifungal qualities.
What you need…
3 medium-large cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup of herbs (any herbs will do, but just remove and use leaves off any really woody looking stalks), roughly chopped
100 ml (or about ½ cup) raw apple cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp real maple syrup (not maple flavoured syrup)
300 ml (or 1 ¼ cup) olive oil (or any light flavoured oil – rice bran, sunflower, etc)
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
What to do…
Using a blender (I use a stick blender), add garlic cloves and blend until smooth.
Add herbs and blitz these up too.
Add in vinegar and maple syrup and blend until all ingredients are blended together well.
With blender turned on, or if using stick blender keep this running, add olive oil in a very slow and steady stream blending the whole time until all the oil is added in and all ingredients are well combined.
Add plenty of salt and pepper, tasting as you go – these two will work beautifully to balance out the flavours of the dressing.
Store in a glass jar, preferably with a plastic lid (so the vinegar doesn’t react with metal). This dressing will keep in the fridge for up to one month – if you can refrain from using it on everything!
It goes great on any and all salads, and it also takes that piece of BBQ steak or roast meat to a whole other level!
Bon appétit!
Amy x