My Love Affair with Cilantro - Dip Recipe

I feel like cilantro is a love it or hate it kind of herb. I’ve never met anyone that was in the middle about it. Oddly enough I used to HATE cilantro I wanted nothing to do with it. Then out of nowhere I freaking love it! It is in fact now one of those staples I’ve been talking about always having on hand.

As it turns out cilantro is absolutely amazing for your health and here is why:

•  Is rich in anti-oxidants and dietary fiber which help reduce LDL or "bad cholesterol" while increasing HDL or "good cholesterol" levels.
• The leaves and seeds contain many essential volatile oils.
• The leaves and stem tips are also rich in numerous anti-oxidants. 
  
•  The herb is a good source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. 
• Cilantro leaves provides 30% of daily recommended levels of vitamin-C.
• High in vitamin A and K.
•  Is considered anti-diabetic in Europe and may encourage insulin secretion. 
•  Used in India for anti-inflammatory effects.
• Consuming cilantro might help improve your memory; researchers theorize it might be useful for Alzheimer's patients. 
• Cilantro improves digestion by relieving gas and bloating and calming the heat of an acid stomach.

So many good reasons to eat cilantro! It is easy to include in your diet, I use it in smoothies, juice, guacamole, on top of stir fry and in salad dressing. If you don't like the taste you can use little bits at a time or hid it in juice and smoothies.

The other day I made a cilantro dressing for a super food salad and it was out of this world. There was so much flavor and mixed with the different textures of the salad ingredients it was a flavor party. I was actually getting  little bored with salads - I eat them about twice a day but this really made all the difference. What I didn’t use on the salad I ate as a dip.

This would be really great on the side of a heartier dinner. Sometimes I eat this alone in big portions and feel like a million bucks after.


Dressing

·         1 avocado (if you don't like avo leave it out and add more tahini)

·         2 tbsp tahini

·         1 tbsp white miso

·         1 clove garlic

·         ¼ - ½ cup cilantro (include stems)

·         Water (as much or little as you want)

·         ½ lemon juiced

I put this on top of

·         Mixed greens

·         Gogi berries

·         Flax seeds (ground)

·         Hemp seed

·         Carrots

·         Beets

·         Parsley