Green Sauces – a great way to add flavour, Flaxseed Oil and get more omega-3 into your diet.

I make green sauce every few days and people ask for the recipe, but there isn’t one; I just make it as I go. The ingredients and quantities depend on what I’m going to eat it with, the ingredients I have to hand, what needs using up, and whatever flavours I fancy that day. Every batch is a bit different but it’s always tasty and healthy.

Whether you feel you need more plants, flaxseed oil, omega-3, or flavour in your diet, this is a great way to start

What to eat it with

Green sauce is one of the easiest, tastiest things you can make. It’s very versatile and goes with almost everything.

It’s a sauce for pasta, a traditional accompaniment to meat, fish or beans. Add to soups – amazing in lentil soup, added to mayonnaise or vinaigrette it can transform a bland salad. Good on potatoes and sweet potato. Use in sandwiches or wraps; very good with cheese or use as a dip or pate.

Although in the UK we mainly think of pesto, mint sauce and chimichurri, almost every country has its own version of a green sauce, with countless regional and family variations.

Fresh, healthy and versatile

My green sauces are based on herbs, some flaxseed oil and fresh vegetables to keep the sauce light. Lemon juice and garlic add the punch that means I don’t need to add salt

This is fresh green sauce they’ll last a few days in the fridge, the lemon juice helps. If I’m taking it on a picnic, I usually add a pinch of salt, which also helps preserve it.

You’ll need

A small blender is perfect, although a larger food processor works just as well. You could even chop everything finely with a sharp knife or use a pestle and mortar.

How to make it

The important thing is to use your instincts and have fun; you’ll learn along the way. Try a new ingredient every week.

1. Start with the herbs and put a goodly amount in the blender. My favourites are: coriander, basil, parsley, tarragon, wild rocket, kale and chervil (but I have to grow that). Other herbs that are good depending on what you are eating it with are a little mint, especially Bowles apple mint, thyme, fennel, dill and even lemongrass for Asian-inspired dishes.  Don’t worry too much about removing  the stems. If the stems aren’t woody, they blend perfectly well and contain plenty of flavour.
2. Then add:

• • 1–2 tablespoons (or more) of Flax Farm flaxseed oil, or a mixture of cold-pressed flaxseed and olive oil.
  • Black pepper
  • 1–3 cloves of garlic
  • the juice of half to one lemon

And blend. At this point you’ve already made a delicious green sauce.

Add spices

Now for more flavour fun. These are some of the extra flavours I add in.  A little turmeric (make sure you have put in black pepper; it releases the anti-inflammatory properties of the turmeric), cumin (jeera), caraway, fresh ginger, smoked paprika

Use whatever suits the meal you’re serving.

A bit of extra heat

Sometimes I want a little spicy warmth. Dried or fresh chillies, green or red, all work fine. Other sources of heat include cayenne, chipotle and hot paprika. Not too much paprika as it can spoil the beautiful green colour!

Liquid

If there’s too much leaf to blend properly, I add veggies. These add more flavour, nutrition, help the sauce go further and make it lighter with fewer calories. These veggies that contain lots of water work best,  green or yellow peppers, spring onions, celery or cucumber,

Give it body

If you want a thicker sauce or more of a pate type conistency add these in to add bulk. I use one or more of the following. Walnuts, almonds (soaked – but they don’t need long in warm water) pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cannellini beans, butter beans, chickpeas, cooked peas or broad beans,  and avocado work well. A little ground flaxseed quickly also thickens it up.

Extra flavour

I usually finish with some extra flavour: Parmesan, mature Cheddar
nutritional yeast (this is a superstar – savoury and nice a bit like Parmesan but no fat, no salt, low calorie,but lots of protein, B vitamins and fibre), a few olives, pickled onions,
gherkins

Finally blend again until combined and as smooth as you want. That’s it!

No recipe. No measuring. Just taste as you go and enjoy experimenting.

Every green sauce is different, so have fun.

A final note: green sauce freezes surprisingly well in ice cube trays, giving you ready-made flavour portions whenever you need them.

Typical nutritional highlights

A basic green sauce made from fresh herbs, garlic, lemon juice and flaxseed oil is naturally packed with goodness.

Depending on exactly what you put in it, it is typically:

• Rich in omega-3 from flaxseed oil (ALA, the essential plant omega-3)
• High in vitamin C from fresh herbs, lemon juice and peppers
• Rich in vitamin K, important for healthy bones and normal blood clotting
• A good source of folate, which supports healthy cell growth
• Rich in protective plant compounds, including polyphenols, carotenoids and chlorophyll from the herbs and greens
• Naturally low in sugar
• Low in digestible carbohydrate
• Low GI (glycaemic index), helping to avoid sharp blood sugar spikes
• Naturally gluten-free
• Naturally dairy-free unless cheese is added
• Suitable for vegan diets if cheese is omitted
• Contains healthy unsaturated fats with very little saturated fat
• A useful source of fibre if vegetables, beans, seeds or nuts are included
• Rich in beneficial sulphur compounds including allicin from the garlic
• A simple way to eat a wider variety of plants, helping increase weekly plant diversity

Heartier green sauce (with beans, seeds or nuts)

• Higher in fibre
• Higher in protein
• More filling
• More minerals such as magnesium and potassium.