Here is kids friendly, sweet and nutrient dense dip my kids love to dip crackers, carrots, peppers, celery into. Parsley is packed with nutrients, including calcium and vitamin C !

You can use it as pre-meal snack with or without other foods, what we call “aperitif”. You can also use it as a sauce over other vegetables like a sliced tomato. I have used it successfully as baby food as well! A good way to get your baby to associate the green color with yummy foods!

Dips do Get Kids Interested In Healthy Foods

French are into dressings and sauce, Americans love dips.

Now that I live in the United States, wherever I go to friends, there will be a dip. Salsa, guacamole, hummus are the most popular out there ! However, I see the same ones I see everywhere, most of the time, store bought. So I grew a bit tired of them. Could I come up with something a bit more original? I didn’t really have to.

If you watch a snack platter that has a dip, it’s crazy how much stuff we can ingest by dipping it in a good sauce. Speak of french fries in ketchup, corn chips in guacamole… You only wish is was better foods! So, if we made the dip healthier, at least we would get some positive outcome out of our snack platter…

Making Parsley into a dip

My mom once discovered the powerful properties of parsley. Its richness in vitamin C and calcium. At the time, I had long discovered that I didn’t digest milk and yogurt well, and I did not like cheese at all. How would I get enough calcium? She decided to make a dip to hard to resist. And the sauce she made with apple, olive oil, lemon and parsley was truly a hit for all of us kids. I’ve been making that dip or sauce regularly since, and my kids and I always love it.

What’s the deal with parsley?

Every green leafy vegetable is packed with nutrients: plant hormones, vitamins (B, C, K) and trace minerals like calcium. But because we have been raised by TV to think of “calcium” by association with cow’s milk, we forget that naturally cow’s eat grass, and that they get a calcium rich milk from that very grass. So what if to get a calcium rich milk, a nursing mom like me was indulging on green leafy vegetables? I would of course have to male them as palatable as these cows find their grass…

How did we come to the parsley sauce idea?

When my mom discovered that one of the leafy vegetable that contains the highest amount of calcium was parsley, she put her creative mind to work! Of course, more data was published since, and other ingredients rose to the startus of superfood stars: sesame seeds are also a great option. Besides, they are easier to use in your daily cooking in the form of tahini for example.

Meanwhile, check it out for yourself and have a look at this article and this data on parsley! You will be amazed at how much you can benefit nutritionally from a sauce from one or two bunches of parsley! If the amount of calcium does not convince you ( remember parsley isn’t the only food you would eat in one day that contains calcium) , look at the amount of vitamin C for example…

My mom knew this rougher type of vegetable would be harder to insert into dishes in high concentration. Now what has a higher single ingredient concentration than a sauce? BINGO! So, she started blending parsley in a sauce, like others would do in a smoothie! She blended sweet fruit and fresh green herb, extra virgin olive oil, lemon. Then she armed us with a carrot or two and let us dip taste it. A real win!

What Do I Need to Make this Yummy Bright Green Dip

You will need a good blender check Vitamix , any of their blenders will work. The one I linked to is the one I own. Do not make this dip with a food processor, I tried. I never can get it ground well enough, it is too chunky and not smooth enough.

Alternatively try with an immersion blender . If you never owned one, these are GREAT tools in the kitchen, and on the move. IWhenever I go on a week end somewhere and I want to be able to make a meal, I’ll have a steamer and an immersion blender. Very helpful with making babyfood too! These are the ones I will take with me if we go camping as a family.

Besides that, nothing really !

What do I serve the Parsley Apple Dip with?

It all depends.

• You can serve it as a dip, with crackers, mini carrots, sliced peppers, celery sticks. Try naan bread or sliced pita bread ! I’ve heard of mom serving their kids a platter of raw vegetables alongside dips on the way back from school. It’s a great idea to settle down hungry kids and a good assurance get their vegetables in that day. Smart! that’s a great way to do it!
• You can also serve it as a sauce over an appetizer. Try over a sliced tomato, or add a few spoons into an avocado and eat both together with a spoon… Possibilities are endless!
• I like it as a tartine over sourdough bread, sprinked with gomasio, a salt and grilled sesame mix. YUM !

Other recipes involving calcium and vitamin C loaded parlsey?

Try the Zucchini Boats With Parsley Eggs Sauce, soft steamed eggs ( 7-8 minutes) parsley and olive oil make for a great sauce over steamed zucchini! My kids love it. It’s a great appetizer!

Ever had tabouli? That has a lot of parsley ! I also make a Lebanon inspired lentil salad I got the idea from another blog that is loaded in finely cut parsley and that’s wonderful too!

Other Kids’ Favorites

• Deep Dish Einkorn Quiche
• Pause the Pizza, Try a Tomato Tarte!
• Einkorn Kings Almond Cake – Galette des Rois with ALmond Filling
• Picnic worthy Salad? Try Mediterranean Rice and Tuna Salad
• Appetizer favorite? Zucchini Boats With Parsley Eggs Sauce