Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan)

 I am assuming at least half of the readers will be thinking: “What is Frankfurt Green Sauce? And then in a vegan version? — Sounds and looks weird.” 🤣🤣🤣. I will admit – before I moved to Hesse (in Germany), I actually thought the same. Germany has very localized, regional cuisines and where I am from originally this dish does not exist. BUT – as I said, this was before. Since then I have come to find out that this sauce is extremely delicious, versatile and (what a great co-incidence!) an absolute powerhouse in terms of good-for-you-health.

So what is Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan)? It is a sauce made up of seven herbs: Borage, Chervil, Cress, Parsley, salad burnet, sorrel, and chives. Every recipe is slightly different, but it is usually made with both yogurt and mayonnaise. If you live in the Hesse region you can buy the herbs fresh on the farmers market or in your local supermarket. If you do not live in Hesse, there is a chance that your supermarket carries it in the frozen section. Even if you do not have these herbs available you could use more of the herbs you do have and still make a delicious sauce!

So why a vegan version of this traditional recipe? Well, this sauce is gorgeous and I wanted to create a recipe that can be enjoyed by everyone. This Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan) does not lack any of the traditional flavors – in fact, I served it to friends the other day and they did not even realize it was not the traditional recipe. I have also made it as a cook-off with one of my friends against the traditional version – and his kids liked mine better 😉! Traditionally, this sauce is served with potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, but it also tastes great with asparagus (or Schnitzel if you do eat meat). You could basically pour it onto anything – similar to a salsa Verde (and indeed, we often-times do 😂).

Why is this Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan) good for you?

Parsley

This herb holds an on-going debate in our family – because my grandmother absolutely adores it and would love to put it onto everything in sight and my mother absolutely hates the taste 🤣. Parsley is a plant native to the Mediterranean and we most commonly know it either in a curly or flat version. It is high in Vitamin K, A, and C, as well as in Folate and Potassium. Vitamin K is essential for your blood clotting properly and for your bones to stay healthy. A diet high in Vitamin K can lower your risk of fracturing bones, especially in elderly people.

Parsley is also stock-full of antioxidants, in particular Vitamin C, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Flavonoids have been shown to reduce your risk of colon cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Carotenoids have also been shown to successfully lower certain diseases. Altogether, this is a powerful, delicious herb that you should try to include in your diet as much as possible (my grandma appears to be right).

Chives

Chives taste mildly of onion, as they are part of the same family. They contain healthy amounts of Vitamin K, C, A, Folate, Calcium, and Potassium. See a trend here? Green herbs and veggies have quite a few things in common 😉. Potassium helps your body with muscle contraction and your nervous system to function optimally. Chives also contain a small amount of Choline. Choline helps with the structure of our cell membrane and is an important nutrient to help regulate mood, memory, muscle control, and our nervous system. Please remember that you would need to eat an awful lot of chives in order to reach the daily recommended amount to see a notable difference to any of the factors listed above though.

Cress

Cress (or garden cress as it is also known by) has a slightly peppery and mustardy taste. Here in Germany, it is usually one of these herbs that you can grow on your window bench in the kitchen and then “harvest” (I am using this term loosely here – realistically you use scissors to cut them 😂) them fresh when eating, for sprinkling on salads or similar. Garden cress has been shown to have powerful anti-cancer effects due to their antioxidant properties. They are also full of Vitamin A (a form of carotenoids) that helps to protect your eyesight by protecting you against impaired night vision, cataracts, and degeneration in the eyes due to age. So stock up on this powerful herb!!

How can I adjust this Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan) recipe to my dietary requirements?

This recipe is vegan, paleo, and keto-friendly. Hence there are no changes to the recipe needed in order to cater to your dietary requirements.

And there you have it for this week. Enjoy this delicious, regional recipe. If you enjoy this recipe, why not give my Italian Anti Pasti Salad a try? Do let me know how you get and how you like the sauce in the comments below, over on Instagram, or by rating the recipe. If you are experimenting with the herbs – let me know which herbs you are using!! 🤗

Frankfurt Green Sauce (vegan)

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ann Robejsek Course: MainCuisine: German, veganDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

This Frankfurt Green Sauce recipe is a Hesse specialty. It is vegan, paleo, and keto-friendly but does not lack any of the taste of a traditional sauce.

Ingredients

• For the Cashew Sauce

• 1 cup 1 (160 gr.) cashews, soaked for 6 – 8 hours or for 2 hours in boiling water

• 1 cup 1 water

• For the Frankfurt Green Sauce

• 200 gr. 200 Frankfurter Green Sauce herbs (or use other herbs of your choice)

• ¼ cup ¼ (60 ml.) non-dairy milk

• 1 tbsp 1 mustard

• 1.5 – 2 tbsp 1.5 – 2 white wine vinegar

• 1 lemon, juiced (ca. 4 tbsp)

• 1 1 avocado

• Salt and pepper to taste

How to

• Soak the cashews for 6 – 8 hours (or do a quick soak in boiling water for ca. 2 hours). Blend in a small blender with the water
• Add the green sauce herbs, along with the cashew sauce, non-dairy milk, mustard, white wine vinegar, lemon, and avocado to the food processor and blend until smooth(ish – you will always have bits of herbs – this is how the sauce is meant to be). Finally, add salt and pepper to liking (I used quite a bit of both) and blend once more. Enjoy!