Herby Cider Dressing

Camilla and I created this blog out of our love of food, cooking, and hospitality, and our shared desire to see people live healthy lives. When friends and family members heard about our collaboration; Pantry Narrative, many said, "finally!" or, "of course!" As though "it was about time" we got together to create something out of our joint passion. 

The particular enthusiasm I most want to touch on today is our desire to see people live healthy lives - that is what we are doing here. Of course we won't get it right all the time, but we are trying our best to understand what we read, discuss its viability, and interpret it into easily accessible information for our community. It's a slow slog and we appreciate your patience.


Today's world of mass production and food processing make it difficult to decipher what foods actually benefit our bodies and minds. We have been taught a plethora of contrasting information that Camilla and I are always trying to sift our way through - in an attempt to find some of the good stuff. There are a few things we have come to agree on that we believe lead to a nourishing life for ourselves, and the people we love. 

Natural, whole, and unprocessed food is the banner we live under. Of course there are times when you can't avoid eating something that was made in a factory, and that isn't something we beat ourselves up over. However, for the most part this "banner" is what guides our meal times and how we decide to fill our plates. Essentially if you can see it in a forest, you're good to go!

Vegetables are another one of those 'rules of life' that we believe sustain and nourish us. 2 - 4 large handfuls of green, yellow, and red vegetables daily will provide us with the vitamins and minerals we need for energy creation, as well as promoting metabolic order.

Protein and fat on every plate of food is a must for us. Protein is the macronutrient that provides structure to our muscles and tissues. Our bodies are made of protein, hence its importance in every meal. Fat too, is an essential macronutrient that has been forgotten over the past wee while. Fat provides us with fuel and structure. One incredible fact about fat is that it is the cornerstone of our hormones. Evidence shows that when men have a diet low in natural fats their testosterone levels plummet - not ideal.  Fat plays a role in transporting vitamins and minerals around our bodies to the right places. Fats we love include eggs, nuts, avocado, butter, some cheeses, and olive oil.

This leads me to the recipe of the week... A great way to get some good, healthy, structural-building fat into your diet is with olive oil based dressings! This Herby Cider Dressing is a particular favourite of ours. It has the added benefit of Cider Vinegar, which is known to help lower blood sugar levels. I made a salad to go along with this for a BBQ I went to recently. See salad recipe below.

Herby Cider Dressing

makes approx 1.5 cups

1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 lemon, juice and zest
salt and pepper to taste

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, or use a whiz stick.
2. Blend until well incorporated and slightly thick. 
3. Pour into a jar.
4. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Corn and Green Bean Salad

2 corn cobs
150g green beans, ends trimmed
rocket, whole bag
2 tomatoes, in chunks
2 avocados, in chunks
1/2 yellow capsicum, thinly sliced
15 kalamata olive, pitted
100g goats feta, crumbled

1. Heat a small amount of water in the base of a saucepan steamer. Once boiling, add beans and corn and cook covered for 4 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and briefly cool down under cold water. 
3. Using a shape knife, cut the corn of the cob. Some kernels will separate from the others while some will remain attached to a group of kernels. Leave as is.
4. On a large platter, arrange rocket, tomatoes, capsicum, avocado, green beans, and corn.
5. Sprinkle over the olives and crumble over the feta.
6. Slowly pour 1/4 cup of Herby Cider Dressing over the salad.
7. Serve.

Food is a gift - enjoy it!