Sauces used for dipping, spreading, and marinating can sometimes be full of ingredients that aren’t the healthiest. Here are some recipes from around the globe that are sure to satisfy your family’s palate and nutritional needs.

CHIMICHURRI is a sauce that can be found in many dishes from Argentina. It’s a great dipping sauce for bread, as well as a traditional marinade for “Gaucho-style” steak and potatoes. It’s rich in herbs, garlic, and olive oil making it a heart-healthy topping or marinade to all veggies and proteins.
1 cup chopped parsley
4 minced cloves of garlic
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
½ tsp. chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
2 tbsp. minced shallot
¾ cup olive oil
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Place all ingredients in a food processor, so it chops up nicely—but don’t puree! Muy bien!
 
CUCUMBER RAITA is a flavorful sauce from India that’s often used with grilled proteins, rice, couscous, and potatoes. But also feel free to dip some naan (yummy Indian bread) into the raita as a healthy snack.
1 cup grated cucumber (you will have to squeeze the water out of the cucumber while grating to get the pulp into your measuring cup)
2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
1 minced garlic clove
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
½ tsp. salt
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (by hand) and your raita is ready to be dipped into or to be spread on top of your main meal foods.
 
GREMOLATA is a sauce from Italy. Instead of buttering your bread, you can use gremolata as a dip. Mostly, however, this sauce is sprinkled on your grilled proteins directly after they’ve been cooked.
1 small bunch of chopped parsley leaves
1 lemon- just the grated rind
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Mix the three ingredients and you’ve got your gremolata. Buon apetito!
 
TZATZIKI is a super heart-healthy sauce that comes from Greece. Mediterranean culture seems to understand which foods keep us healthiest. It’s delicious for pita dipping or spread on proteins/meats and potatoes.
2 cucumbers peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
½ diced white onion
1 seeded and diced tomato
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dill
1 tsp. chopped oregano
1 clove minced garlic
Mix all ingredients. Sauce is ready. Opa!
The above recipes are sure to delight your taste buds and keep your waistline in line. Just make sure that what you’re using to dip is also a healthy option. A Paleo or gluten-free bread is a decent choice. Even better: raw veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, and jicama will all work well with the above sauces.
The bottom line is that you can eat well nutrition- and health-wise without sacrificing deliciousness. Most fun is that you can experience different flavors from around the world. Eat well and enjoy!
CanaGel Melts