It was tough to choose and draw a line. How many recipes do I share? How many recipes do I create for this post?
I realized two things. One, these little bits of nutritional goodness (herbs) make any dish taste incredible. Truly. A little bit of olive oil, some salt, lemon and herbs added to a dish and you have yourself a very tasty plate. Two, It's super easy to use herbs so much during the summer without even realizing it, especially if you have your own herb garden.
There was literally over 10 recipes I thought of sharing today. I had the most fun testing, re-testing and tweaking these recipes.
I hope you love and appreciate herbs as much as I do. If not for their crush-worthy nutritional profile, then just for the simple fact that herbs are delicious and make everything else taste pretty yummy too.
Now I leave you with these two recipes to make. The first is a dip that works so well for most any vegetable. Because of the nuts and olive oil, it's also incredibly rich and satisfying. Combined with some veggies, it makes the perfect balanced snack.
The second is a cucumber salad that's incredibly light and fresh. It comes together really easily too. The toughest part is setting the cucumbers aside for a few minutes to release the water. I hope you enjoy the freshness of this salad.
Herbed Vegetable Dip
Makes approx. 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, rinsed + drained
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked overnight, rinsed + drained
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp shallots, diced
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp Himalayan rock salt
1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
How to:
- Place all ingredients, except dill, into a high powered blender, Blend on high until smooth consistency. If you need to add a bit more water to create a smooth blend, add it in 1 Tbsp. increments
- Stir in chopped dill
- Serve with your choice of fresh vegetables
Notes:
- This will keep for about 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- This is also great to make ahead. It tastes even better after it's sat for a few hours, allowing the flavours to meld.
Herbed Cucumber Salad
Serves 4 - 6
2 long English cucumbers
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 cup fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1 1/4 tsp. Himalayan rock salt, divided
lemon zest for garnish
How to:
- Using a mandolin, thinly slice cucumbers into a mixing bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside and let sit for 10 minutes. This time allows water to be released from the cucumbers
- Meanwhile, in a high powered blender, combine mint, cilantro, parsley, 3/4 tsp salt, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Blend on high until smooth consistency
- After the 10 minutes have passed, drain out any excess water from cucumbers
- Add herbed vinaigrette and almonds to cucumbers
- Toss until well combined
- Garnish with lemon zest. Serve immediately