Herby Saucy Spread (AIP/Vegan/Paleo)
I have limited well-lit areas in my house and this spot on the sofa is one of them. Photo, as usual, by me, Jenna Peffley on a vintage pillow that I’ve had for years and with the blanket Grandma Ginny made me peeking in in the background.
If Mayo and Pesto had a love child, and it happened to be Vegan/Paleo/AIP friendly, this would be said love child. I posted an Instagram story on my personal page the other day while making lamb meatballs (recipe coming soon) of the sauce I was making to go with them, and SO many people responded asking for the sauce recipe so here it is. I typically make a batch of this every few weeks, and use it for a variety of meals - as a mayo-ish thing for my chicken salad (recipe coming soon), as a sauce for meatballs or my cauliflower gnocchi and even as a crudité dip. As is my pattern, everything is fairly simple to make, versatile, and likely easy to modify depending on what you have on hand.
My Grandma Ginny always gave me recipes that called for “a pinch” of this or “a handful” of that, and it used to stress me out because I thought exact measurements were necessary. For that matter, in my late 20’s I could hardly hard-boil an egg without calling and asking how every single time. Come to find out, cooking really is intuitive, and pinches and pours and handfuls are all part of the adventure and if you’re using real ingredients (with the exception of some baking) and you don’t mind slight variations every time, you’re more than likely to have great results, regardless of exact measurements, and subbing things in is much easier than you’d think it would be.
So that said…
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup olive oil or avocado oil (add a little more if you want it to be a little more sauce and a little less mayo)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup Coconut Palm Shortening (potential controversial ingredient, but I tolerate it well and it is AIP friendly) - you can sub this out for 1 extra avocado, but it won’t stay green as long
Fresh herbs - I like to use a generous handful or two of parsley, at least 3 full green onions with ends trimmed, and sometimes a small handful of cilantro (I’m team YES cilantro, but Grandma Ginny thinks it tastes like soap and I hear others think so too)
1 raw garlic clove (optional - if you’re garlic sensitive leave it out)
1 tsp fancy salt of choice plus more to taste as needed
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar or White Balsamic - this gives it a nice “tang” but if you don’t have any, it won’t be the end of the world to omit
RECIPE
In a large wide-mouthed mason jar (if you’re using a stick blender) or in your blender pitcher, add all ingredients.
For stick blender, immerse in jar and - not sure of the best way to say this - pump it up and down until you get desired consistency. It will happen, just be patient. This is my preferred method because it’s already in the jar I’ll be keeping it in. If you use a blender, blend until desired consistency, then transfer to a jar.
This keeps in the fridge for around 2 weeks and becomes soft solid when cold but melts nicely when used on top of something hot, and spreads easily if it’s to be spread on something. You should get a variety of uses out of it throughout a week or two, if you’re feeding 2 people.
