Green Goddess Ranch Dressing with Hemp Hearts & Giveaway

I really should be getting ready for bed and dealing with the pile of laundry on my bed instead of writing a blog post...but I am SO excited to share this salad dressing with you. 

Food geek, that's me. :)

I had the thought about a month ago to create a vegan, healthy ranch recipe using hemp hearts. Random, because I have never been a ranch dressing fan. Something about the abundance of mayo and sour cream...

Anyways, moving on...with summer herbs and fresh garden veggies in abundance right now, I was inspired. And oh my am I glad I decided to do some experimenting. 

Our salad tonight was DIVINE with this Green Goddess Dressing.

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced into large pieces

3/4 cup hemp hearts

1 cup fresh parsley

3/4 cup fresh dill

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 clove garlic

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp sucanat

pinch of cayenne

(makes 3 cups)

Place all ingredients in a blender, following the order in which they are listed. Using a cucumber as "liquid" instead of water or oil, provides another layer of fresh garden flavor. It's important to have the cucumber on the bottom to help the blending process. Blend until smooth.

 For optimal flavor, allow your dressing to chill for several hours before serving. This dressing is highly nutritious, as it contains significant amount of parsley and dill, and hemp hearts. 

So much better than mayo...

Parsley: an excellent source of Vitamin C, K, folic acid, iron and chlorophyll. Supports the digestive and urinary system. And a friend recently had an infected burn and was advised to administer a parsley wrap (mince parsley and cover with a bandage) and the next day it had begun to heal!

Dill: helps to rid the liver of toxic chemicals, has anticancer and antimicrobial effects and is a good source of calcium.

Hemp Hearts: high protein source, omega 3's and 6's, fiber, and an assortment of other vitamins and minerals.

Use as a dip with fresh vegetables or as a salad dressing. So...run out to your garden, local farmers market or grocery store and try this super simple, nutritionally dense and delectable dressing. 

Now, who is interested in a little giveaway? Your very own bag of hemp hearts from Manitoba Harvest to try out! Incorporate these nutritional gems into your diet...smoothies, sprinkled on salads, yogurt, cookies, granola...

To enter:

1) become a follower (see side bar: follow by email)
2) leave a comment sharing about your desire to try hemp hearts or your experience with them
3) share this post on Facebook
4) tweet about this post
5) pin this recipe on Pinterest

Each is worth one entry and the winner will be drawn at random. Be sure to leave a comment letting me know how you have shared!

Happy cooking!

(side note: giveaway will close Friday, July 27th at noon MST. open to US and CDN residents!)

Grilled Jalapenos with Ricotta, Corn and Cilantro Filling

The inspiration for these rustic appetizers began with a Father's Day gift for my Dad. Doesn't every Dad love grilling and how unique is a jalapeno pepper roaster? I found this treasure at Williams Sonoma and instantly knew it was the right gift for the occasion, especially with the upcoming getaway... 

My family has a summer tradition of a weeklong vacation to Clear Lake, Manitoba. With our family spread across North America, it is a cherished week together. My talented sister Alexandra Joy of Pink & Honey Event Styling and I decided to have some fun and collaborate our creativity to share this fun summer appetizer! We even recruited her husband and my other sister's boyfriend to de-seed the jalapenos! 

If you aren't able to find a jalapeno roaster, you could lay the jalapenos in a grill basket on the top rack of the BBQ. If you are without a BBQ, try roasting in the oven.

18 medium jalapenos

2 cobs corn

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves (about 3/4 cup)

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp sea salt

Selecting medium jalapenos is best, as small are hard to stuff and the large won't fit in roaster.

Like I said, I was able to recruit some help for the somewhat tedious process of removing the seeds from the peppers. Begin by chopping off the stem, but reserve for later. The boys were intense and used small paring knifes to scrape out the ribs and seeds. Please be very careful if you choose this method! Other options include a grapefruit knife or purchasing a jalapeno corer.

To prepare the filling, slice kernels off corn cobs and combine all remaining ingredients. Using a spoon and your fingers, yes, your fingers...press the filling all the way down into the jalapeno and set up in the roaster. Top with stems.

Heat the grill to medium-low and roast for about 20 minutes until jalapenos are tender and filling is bubbling.

These jalapenos were a lovely, yet spicy side to our brisket dinner. Somehow my mom had stumbled upon an intensely spicy batch of jalapenos, which none of us were expecting! Just a little boost for our circulatory systems. :)

Does anyone else have a jalapeno grilling experience to share?