The perfect green sauce that is amazing on literally everything

that amazing jalapeno cilantro dressing

I got hooked on this recipe one summer volunteering for the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, TX. We were teaching teenagers the benefits of utilizing the local food system, and part of the curriculum was a cooking class featuring this simple, cheap, healthy, crunchy Mexican rice salad. I still make it all the time.

The base of this recipe - whole grain, raw veggies, herb, spice, heat, nut/seed - is an excellent foundation for improvising an awesome meal. You can make a big batch and it'll stay good for at least a week, but I like to divide it up into 3 containers and freeze 2 for later.

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked brown rice, quinoa, or farro

2 large carrots, diced small

2 medium yellow or green summer squash, diced small

1 stalk celery, diced small

1 cup green beans, blanched and chopped into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

Juice of 2 limes

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 - 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced fine

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Combine salad ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Combine dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake well. Toast pumpkin seeds with a teaspoon of canola oil over low heat until fragrant and turning golden. Pour dressing and pumpkin seeds over veggies and toss to coat.*

*Adding the still hot, toasted pumpkin seeds to each serving right before you eat makes it extra special, but this is not necessary for it to be great.

I feel like a broken record here, but this is also awesome will shredded chicken for extra protein.

And frankly, you can put this dressing on almost everything. It's perfect drizzled on a steak, is a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken, it's wonderful on some scrambled eggs.

Having a couple of really great sauces in your back pocket is a sure way to make meal planning very simple.