Parsley dressing: Add brightness to your meal, even on a dreary winter day

Even though we are in temperate California, in our gardening zone (zone 7), even with the most careful planning, there are weeks of little very little produce available in the vegetable garden. When you are addicted to bright colors and fresh flavors, this can be quite the downer.

The solution: Sauces and dressing, brilliantly colored and packed with flavor. Pour them over beans, grains, and roasted root vegetables — the staples of winter.

This is one of those great sauces. It has the added benefit of hosting antioxidant-rich ingredients.

The ingredient amounts listed below are suggestions. You may want this sauce with more lemon, more heat, more garlic, or more sweet. Actually, you can push the amount of any one ingredient and end up with a completely different sauce experience. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember how you played with watercolor paints when you were a child? Assume that attitude and have a blast.

Parsley Dressing Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cups minced parsley
• 2 tablespoon mint, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Parsley Dressing Steps

1. Shake all the ingredients in a pint jar. Check for salt and make adjustments.
2. Use the sauce like it is or whizz it in the blender for a more even-textured and colored sauce. Blending does turn the texture to more of a sauce rather than a dressing.
3. Keep stored in the refrigerator. It will keep nicely for about five days.

Explore creative ways to enjoy this vitamin-rich sauce. What about a goodly drizzle of this on your next cheese omelette? You’ll be amazed!