Garden Herb Dressing
by Chef Owen May and Dr. Michelle May
I have a confession to make. I LOVE vegetables. That works out pretty well since I believe we should eat what we love. I felt I needed to confess this because I don’t want you to think that I only love chocolate, and therefore, only eat chocolate. There was a time that I felt guilty for eating chocolate but associated vegetables with dieting and restriction. Either way, I didn’t love what I ate.
Not anymore. Now I love eating chocolate AND vegetables. I know vegetables are good for me, but the truth is I love the colors, the flavors, the textures, and the variety they add to our meals. Lately, I’ve started to love being part of the process too.
We put in a family garden in a neglected, hidden, strip of yard at the side of our house. Actually, my husband and my daughter did most of the work–but I supervised. Now we have fresh herbs, tomatoes, peppers (well one, which we didn’t get to before the pests), and soon, cucumbers. This has taken my appreciation of vegetables to a whole new level. I can’t get over the fragrance of fresh herbs and the intense flavor of a tomato right off the vine.
Chef Notes
Health Notes
It is a bit unusual for me to eat just a garden salad for lunch, but today, that is exactly what I was hungry for. I made it with leftover grilled asparagus and peppers, romaine, kalamata olives, and two little tomatoes from our garden. I’ll probably be hungry again in a couple of hours and that’s just fine. Even if you don’t grow your own vegetables, perhaps you’d like to try this simple garden herb dressing we created.
Ingredients
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Handful of fresh herbs (we used basil and parsley)
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Simply emulsify these ingredients with a hand blender – and don’t forget to take a moment to smell the herbs! Serve over your favorite greens and garden vegetables.
Your journey is unique so we provide options to explore mindful eating in a way that meets your needs.