All-purpose herb sauce: mint, parsley, and rosemary in 5 minutes

There are weeks on this protocol when the plain protein on the plate feels like a task rather than a meal. A spoonful of this sauce changes that. It takes 5 minutes, uses herbs you can grow in a pot on a windowsill, and makes everything it touches taste finished and deliberate. Fresh parsley is one of the higher herb sources of vitamin C and vitamin K1 - a quarter cup provides roughly 20 mg of vitamin C and over 100 micrograms of K1. Both are heat-sensitive, which is why this sauce is made raw.

Mint, parsley, and rosemary together make a sauce that is somehow both bright and grounding. The mint lifts, the parsley grounds, the rosemary adds a piney depth. Olive oil carries the flavor and keeps it pourable. The apple cider vinegar gives it just enough brightness to cut through a rich piece of meat or salmon.

This is the kind of sauce to keep in a small jar in the refrigerator door for the fast weeknight plate - the one where you roast a tray of root vegetables and a chicken breast and want something that makes it feel like you cooked on purpose.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves (from 1 to 2 sprigs)
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of sea salt

Method

Combine the mint, parsley, rosemary, and salt in a small food processor or blender. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the apple cider vinegar and pulse once more to combine.

With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce comes together into a loose, pourable consistency. It should be bright green and glossy, with visible herb texture throughout. Taste and adjust the salt.

Alternatively, finely chop all the herbs by hand, then whisk together with the vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl.

Yield: About 3/4 cup.

How to use it

• Spoon over seared or grilled chicken, pork, or lamb
• Drizzle over roasted salmon or white fish just before serving
• Toss with roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, sweet potato) as a finishing sauce
• Spoon into a bowl of cauliflower rice alongside a protein
• Use as a dipping sauce for lettuce wraps
• Drizzle over a simple cucumber and avocado salad in place of dressing

Variation

For a more chimichurri-style direction, replace the rosemary with fresh oregano and increase the parsley to 1/2 cup.

Storage

Refrigerator: up to 4 days in a sealed glass jar. The herbs will darken but the flavor holds. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com/all-purpose-herb-sauce/ by Jaime Hartman*