I find a sauce livens up any meal. And one as vibrant as this tasty green sauce definitely does the trick! And what’s even better, it doesn’t take an age to make – just a matter of minutes.
Admittedly, this isn’t for the faint of heart when it comes to green food. If you can get past that, then it’s a perfect accompaniment for pasta or rice – you just need to stir it immediately after straining. Alternatively, you can gently heat the sauce in a pan until it’s warmed through and pour over roasted or steamed veggies, cooked grains like quinoa or lentils or just over a baked potato.
It works as a dressing for salad too, or even a dip. The options are numerous!
As well as uses, the actual greens you use can be varied too, depending on what’s in season, what you prefer, or just what’s in your fridge! Spinach and kale are particularly good, as are watercress and coriander. Or use a mix of leaves for a varied flavour – it really is up to you.
The lemon juice is important. The vitamin C will help you absorb nutrients like iron. It also lifts the ‘greeness’, making it less pond-like (you’ll know what I mean if you taste it without first!) as well as adding a lovely zing.
You may have noticed lemon juice pops up in a lot of my recipes. This is partly because of the reasons I just mentioned – absorption of nutrients and lifting the flavour. It also replaces vinegar in my recipes – unfortunately one of the ingredients I don’t tolerate well. I always have a couple of lemons in the fruit bowl – this photo is of one I picked off a tree the other day (I’m currently in Portugal!). They are huge! I’d only need half of one for this recipe 😉
Make sure you season this sauce well – it can take it.
Using a shop bought dairy-free cream means you don’t have to make your own cream base with cashew nuts or almonds. You can of course do that if you wish but remember to plan ahead. I usually have a couple of dairy-free creams in the cupboard for those times when time or energy is lacking. Oat and soya are my personal favourite options, however please use whatever you prefer.
I hope you give this vibrant, versatile sauce a try. Do let me know how you get on – and how you use it too!
Green sauce!
Equipment
- Small blender
Ingredients
- 100 ml Dairy free cream of choice Oat or soya work well
- 100 grams spinach leaves or watercress or kale
- pinch garlic powder or granules
- 1 small lemon juice only
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pop all the ingredients into a small blender pot and blend until smooth.
- Add to pasta or rice and warm through.
- Alternatively, pour into a small pan and gently heat before using as a sauce. Do not boil.
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