When the mint starts poking its leaves up through the remainder of last year's garden (or grass, or landscaping), you know spring is here! This dressing combines mint with another spring crop, green garlic, so you get the flavors of both in one fresh and very versatile dressing.
You can use this Green Garlic-Mint Dressing as a salad dressing, a vegetable dip, or drizzle it on fresh veggies, such as cucumbers. It is also terrific as an additive to soup or a topping to falafel patties. In fact, just get out your spoon (or fingers), because seriously, I found my own finger in the end of the bowl of it, making sure every last bit was in my mouth. :)
Ingredients:
- yogurt - 1 cup (I use a full-fat plain, unflavored organic yogurt)
- lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
- green garlic - 2-3 stalks, remove roots, wash, finely chop whites and green tops
- mint leaves - 1/4 cup, finely chopped (I used leaves of pineapple mint, which was just lovely!)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper (not much, just a small pinch or twist of the pepper grinder)
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir or whisk carefully. Add additional lemon juice to thin, if you like. Taste before you add more. Serve with fresh greens or as a dip.
Makes about 1 cup. Keep any unused dip in the refrigerator. I used it all within 2 days in the following ways:
1) Dip for vegetables - you can see here it is nice and thick.
2) Dressing on a green salad (not tossed yet)
3) Mixed into a clear broth soup to make it creamy
4) Topping on falafel patties (also made by adding green garlic), along with some roasted sweet potato wedges, pickled garlic scapes, and some locally-made Perkins Pickles purchased at the Downtown Ypsilanti Famers Market.
5) 'Finger food' - sorry no photo of me using my finger to get every last bit from the small bowl I used to store it in the refrigerator. :)
All this from one delicious and easy recipe! Head down to your local farmers market to see if you are lucky enough to snag some green garlic. We are gleaning our fields right now, looking for any 'doubles' or 'triples', where more than one garlic clove was planted in one spot. The resulting 'garlics' are too crowded to grow beautiful heads, so we dig them up for more delicious green garlic.
You might ask your local garlic grower if they can bring you some harvested in that way. We'll be done this week, maybe tomorrow. Our 4th local chef just got in line to say she 'wants it all'. :) Good thing our CSA members were first in line this year!
Cultivate your life - you are what you grow - inch by inch, row by row,
Diana Dyer, MS, RD
PS - sorry for any weird formatting/appearance here, too, on this post. I'll get this figured out soon.
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