No-worry chimichurri sauce
Welcome to the second recipe in my Vegan Sauces Five Ways series! This one's a crowd pleaser every time. The events recounted here may or may not be slightly autobiographical. I offer them as an illustration for how something as simple as a quick and delicious sauce can transform an ordinary meal into something special without a lot of fussing about in the kitchen.
Let's say your mom, brother and his beautiful teenage daughter are visiting from San Diego and you decide to spend the day touring college campuses to fill her head full of aspirations as she enters high school in the fall. And let's say you're on day five of two different sets of out-of-town company back-to-back, you've been working and I haven't had time to plan much in the way of meals, which is embarrassing if you're a chef. Night falls, you're pooped, out of time, but want to create a memorable family meal before they head back to San Diego in the morning. You need something fast and fun that you can all to make together. What do you do? (Dun, dun, duuuuuunnnnnn). Well here's a menu idea that incorporates one of my favorite summer saucy saviors that can make an ordinary vegan meal extraordinary:
Let's say your mom, brother and his beautiful teenage daughter are visiting from San Diego and you decide to spend the day touring college campuses to fill her head full of aspirations as she enters high school in the fall. And let's say you're on day five of two different sets of out-of-town company back-to-back, you've been working and I haven't had time to plan much in the way of meals, which is embarrassing if you're a chef. Night falls, you're pooped, out of time, but want to create a memorable family meal before they head back to San Diego in the morning. You need something fast and fun that you can all to make together. What do you do? (Dun, dun, duuuuuunnnnnn). Well here's a menu idea that incorporates one of my favorite summer saucy saviors that can make an ordinary vegan meal extraordinary:
L-R: My niece, amazing mom and me at Stanford University.
Menu:
- Grilled Field Roast Italian, grain-based sausages in fluffy toasted roll with grilled onions, lots of mustard and a dill pickle slice
- grilled corn on the cob with my No-Worry Chimichurri sauce (recipe below)
- a fresh green salad with grilled nectarines, toasted hazelnuts and a light, white balsamic vinaigrette
- and if not too stuffed, maybe a little coconut ice cream with a drizzle of my strawberry date puree (recipe to come).
Recipe (makes about 3/4 cup)
This traditional South American condiment is the ultimate summer accompaniment. I call it No- Worry Chimichurri because I never sweat about how it’s going to come out, even when I’m just eye-balling measurements. You can dial the "kick" up or down by playing with the garlic, chili, lemon and cumin, and it’s always fierce and delicious. Oh, I’ve flirted with other recipes, some calling for flat-leaf parsley, veggie broth and other chilies and spices; some not much more than four ingredients. I perfected this recipe earlier this summer, and haven't been without it on hand for very long ever since.
This traditional South American condiment is the ultimate summer accompaniment. I call it No- Worry Chimichurri because I never sweat about how it’s going to come out, even when I’m just eye-balling measurements. You can dial the "kick" up or down by playing with the garlic, chili, lemon and cumin, and it’s always fierce and delicious. Oh, I’ve flirted with other recipes, some calling for flat-leaf parsley, veggie broth and other chilies and spices; some not much more than four ingredients. I perfected this recipe earlier this summer, and haven't been without it on hand for very long ever since.
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Ingredients:
1 c. packed fresh curly-leaf parsley 1⁄2 c. packed fresh cilantro leaves 2 whole peeled medium garlic cloves, or more to taste 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or jalapeno to taste) 1⁄2 c. good extra virgin olive oil (being in California, I like California brands. Less shipping. Great taste.) 3/4 tsp. ground cumin 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar Juice of 1/2 lemon or more to taste 1 tsp. kosher salt 
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Preparation:
To make the sauce, slam everything into a small food processor or blender and pulse until well combined and drizzle-able. Let sit for 20 minutes to allow all flavors to get acquainted. It’s okay if it’s a little chunky as long as it’s emollient enough to pour or spoon over your dish. The consistency is yours to play with. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. Five Uses: Try this sauce drizzled on:
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It’s so good, I recommend doubling down and freezing some to satisfy your next longing for Rio. Leave a comment and tell me what you'll try this sauce on.
This Vegan Sauces Five Ways Series is a collection of five essential and versatile vegan "saucy saviors" that make summer-time meal planning easy! Search Vegan Sauces Five Ways Series on this blog to find them all or click below to receive a free downloadable PDF of all five recipes. I really want you to have it because I made it on the computer all by myself and I need positive reinforcement for learning new tricks! Each recipe was created with outdoor grilling, alfresco dining and seasonal ingredients in mind. Each is highly versatile and can be made in 15 minutes (plus roasting time where indicated) with not much more kitchen gadgetry than a blender or bowl. Each is packed with flavors from around the globe for maximum intrigue. And each comes with five ideas for how to use them to make ordinary meals special. That’s a big head-start on 25 meals your family will love. No doubt you’ll come up with your own brilliant ways to use them, and I invite you to post your creative ideas here in the comments section, Instagram me or drop by my Facebook page to post your creations for us all to “ooh” and “ahh” over.
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