Although I’m very health conscious and all about getting my daily fix of vitamins through food, I’ve never really got into the juicing trend. Don’t get me wrong, I love a fresh juice and will often order one along side my breakfast if I’m out or will make myself a smoothie for breakfast, as a snack or order one if I see one on a menu somewhere that takes my fancy. But juicing alone has never really been a thing for me.

Perhaps it’s because every time I convince myself I need to “detox” or “cleanse”, I’m generally coming from a place of either overeating or eating somewhat unhealthily, at least by my standards. That means that my appetite is often bigger than usual and the thought of drinking nothing but juice freaks me out.

I’ve tried it a couple of times and end up stuffing my face in the evening after a day of sipping on nothing but homemade concoctions of any fresh fruit and vegetables I have around. That being said, I’d never say no to a good fresh juice – my favourite being a mixture of apple, orange, ginger & carrot – and sometimes I actually crave one to get a fix of all my greens but I definitely prefer to simply eat my greens.

My husband, on the other hand, will just about manage a leaf or two of fresh spinach, the odd rocket leaf on a pizza but otherwise steers well clear of anything coloured unless it comes in the form of a gummy bear.

I try to sneak goodness into all the meals I cook for him and have found some ways that he actually enjoys to eat fruit and veg – in a caprese salad with fresh basil for example, but the daily struggle to fill him with vitamins is real.

I discovered a new trick that seems to work and here I will share my recipe for just that.

A delicious salsa verde full with only fresh greens and the perfect accompaniment to a meat dish, as a salad dressing or on top of a baked sweet potato.

I added mint here as I paired it with lamb, but feel free to omit the mint if you prefer.

Salsa Verde:

Serves 4 as an accompanying Sauce:

• A handful of Fresh Basil
• A handful of Fresh Parsley (I throw in the whole thing, stalks and all, but if your processor isn’t strong enough to mix the stalks, feel free to just use the leaves).
• A handful of Fresh Spinach & Rocket mixed
• 1 tbsp Fresh Mint
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Shelled Pistachios
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Place the herbs in a food processor with the blade attachment and blitz for a second. Scrape down the sides and blitz again.

Add the vinegar and 2 tbsp oil and blitz again. Add the remaining ingredients and process until you have a smooth consistency. You may want to add a little more oil or vinegar to get your desired consistency.

Depending on what I’m using this sauce for, I sometimes like a little texture so keep it as is, but if you want a smooth sauce, feel free to use a fine mesh strainer.

Use within a day of making as the herbs become bruised after blitzing and will lose flavour quickly.

Best paired with grilled lamb chops, drizzled over a quinoa salad or stirred into some gluten free pasta with fresh tomato & black olive.

Enjoy!

L, xo