Mediterranean Diet Herb Salad Dressing Recipe Makes Blue Zone Magic (6 Ingredients, 5 Minutes) Mediterranean Diet Sauces/Condiments Salads Low Sodium Farm to Table Low Sugar Budget

After a trip to a local plant nursery, I realized I bought two small Grosfruchuger fennel plants and not dill. The plants are "non-bulbing" fennel, so you only eat the fronds. I was a bit disappointed until I read that fennel fronds are eaten in the Mediterranean Diet and in Blue Zone regions.

Most of us know about the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet. If you're not familiar with the Blue Zones, they are areas with some of the longest-living people on earth – often living to see triple digits. Areas with official Blue Zone status include Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Ogliastra Region, Sardinia; Loma Linda, California; and Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. While less stress and active lifestyles may play a big roll, so does the diet of people living in these areas.

Most people in Blue Zone areas eat a lot of whole foods, not processed or with added ingredients like refined sugar. Plants, herbs and spices are a big part of their diets. Herbs have already been found to have many health benefits, such as supporting our immune system and fighting inflammation. 

My first recipe using my fennel fronds was this creamy herb salad dressing recipe. (If you don't have fennel fronts, no worries! You can make this dressing without them and use other fresh herbs.) To make this healthy Mediterranean-inspired homemade salad dressing you will need garlic, shallot or red onion, a mixture of fresh herbs, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, Greek yogurt or mayonnaise (yogurt is obviously the healthiest option) and crushed red pepper flakes.

Serve this low-calorie, low-sodium, low-sugar herb salad dressing over salads, in pasta salad, drizzled over grilled chicken, shrimp or fish, as a dip for fresh vegetables or in my Mediterranean tuna salad.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 - 3 cloves garlic
• small shallot of 1/4 of a red onion
• 1 cup fresh herbs (dill, fennel fronds, parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, etc.)
• 1/2 cup lemon juice 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
• crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

Here's how to make it:

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor. (If you don't have a food processor, finely chop all the ingredients and whisk together in a bowl. I used fresh dill, fennel fronds, basil, oregano and parsley. But use your favorite herbs. Fresh is best when it comes to lemon juice. Squeeze fresh if you can. In a pinch bottled lemon juice would work.)
2. Pulse until everything is chopped and combined. Season with salt and pepper. (I sprinkled in additional crushed red pepper flakes after pulsing.)
3. Pour into an airtight container, salad dressing cruet or mason jar.

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