I feel like the key to a solid, quick dinner is in the sauce. There are endless combinations of grains, beans, and vegetables once you get sauces involved. Plus, this is something my entire family can easily agree on: you can never had too many sauce ideas. Enter in this easy herby hemp sauce.
I keep hemp seeds around for sprinkling on morning oatmeal and waffles. It's a nutritious little seed that can really help bump up the impact a meal might have. I've also found I really enjoy blending them, which led to this sauce. They don't have a strong flavor which makes them perfect for pairing with a handful of herbs.
Herbs: Play around with the herbs. Add a bit of mint, use a handful of dill, or take this sauce in a different direction by using cilantro in place of the basil. It's a great all-purpose way to use up leftover fresh herbs.
Cashews/Sunflower Seeds: For a creamier sauce, swap out some of the hemp seeds for soaked raw cashew and/or sunflower seeds.
Roasted garlic: If you happen to have roasted garlic, replace the raw garlic with a few roasted garlic cloves.
Salad Dressings: Thin the sauce out a bit with water and use as a salad dressing. I find it perfect for salads heavy on vegetables, especially tomatoes and cucumbers.
Grain Bowls: Use this sauce as the finishing drizzle for a grain bowl. During the fall months, roast sweet potatoes or butternut squash and toss with your favorite grain and this hemp sauce.
Tacos/Enchiladas: Use as a topping for tacos or use as a sauce for enchiladas. I like to use the cilantro variation for this!
Pasta: Use as a pasta sauce (either hot or cold). It's great for summer pasta salads or stir it in to a hot pasta dish with greens and roasted vegetables.
(use as a dip for these fritters)
(use in place of the yogurt sauce)
I am so happy you shared this! I just did a look through of my pantry and realized I have a ridiculous amount of hemp seeds. I will pot of these herbs and this will be a go to this fall! Thanks!
This sauce was amazing! Found this last minute so I had to improvise - used cheap, dry Italian seasonings instead of fresh herbs, and dijon instead of whole grain because that's what I had. Also added a little nutritional yeast.
Love finding some new options so I'm not making cashew-based all the time - thanks for this!