Essential Sauces: The Zesty Slightly Spicy Green One

I like to think of my sauces as characters, not recipes - each with their own color, mood, energy and personality.

When I started referring to my sauces by how they feel instead of what’s in them, I naturally began to build a little more intuition in the kitchen. It’s one of the small things that helped me start getting out of my head and into my senses.

It’s an awesome shift when you notice that a green sauce feels alive and bright, how a golden one settles everything in, and how just a drizzle can shift the whole mood of a meal. It’s less about getting it “right” and more about recognizing balance, flow, and simply your own preferences. When you think of a sauce by its character instead of its ingredients, you start to see all the ways it can move through and elevate your cooking. A single sauce isn’t just for one recipe - it can brighten a salad, coat roasted vegetables, or mix into rice and beans for a creamier consistency.

This series is all about the essentials - the sauces that can do it all, the ones you’ll actually make over and over again. I think every cook needs a few go-tos they can make without thinking, the kind that pull meals together on a busy day. Those sauces/dressings that live in jars in the fridge and somehow end up on everything. Think of it like a foundation for flavor, but one that’s flexible enough to follow your mood and what you have on hand.

The Zesty Slightly Spicy Green One

A vibrant, herby dressing - fresh, citrusy, and lightly spicy. Perfect for drizzling over crisp greens, roasted veggies, or grain bowls.

🌿 Ingredients

• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed (leave for heat)

• 60g green onions, rough chopped (white + green parts)

• 60g cilantro leaves and tender stems (just trim off ends)

• Juice of about 3 limes

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (this makes a huge difference - brightens the lime, but if you don’t have on hand simply use more lime juice)

• 1 tbsp honey  

• 1 clove garlic 

• 60g olive oil

• 1 - 2 tablespoons water, to thin

• Salt to taste, start with two large pinches

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to blender to emulsify until smooth.

2. Add a bit of water if needed for a thinner, drizzle-able texture.

3. Taste - it should hit bright, salty, citrusy, and a little sweet, with heat on the back end. Adjust as YOU see fit. Don’t hesitate to add more of anything, just do a little at a time.

✨ Suggestions

• If you want a creamier vibe, add ½ avocado or 1 tablespoon tahini

• For extra umami depth, try ¼ teaspoon white miso

• Store in a jar up to 3 - 4 days

• Lastly… as you’re measuring out your ingredients, be present taking a mental note of the quantities. Is the cilantro about a handful? Was 60g of green onions one full bunch or a little less? This way, you can make it next time just with the list of ingredients, not worried about measuring everything exactly knowing you can tweak it as needed.