Make some Magic with this BBQ Love Potion

​Summer should be full of sun, splashing around in the pool, singing out loud and soaking up good vibes long into the night, and if you’re like me, that’s going to include lots of grilling and BBQ.  Here in Arizona we don’t like to heat up the kitchen if we can avoid it in summer months, so I often find myself turning to the grill.

"Rustic" Style Chimichurri

​Today I'm going to share a little magic (and my most requested recipe!) with you, my summer BBQ love potion! Now I’m sure you’re wondering why in the world would I call it my BBQ love potion?! Well, it’s heart-healthy ingredients nourish your heart chakra AND everyone who eats it falls in love with it! ​

This is my absolute favorite summertime staple, pulling double duty as both a sauce and marinade, bringing in freshness and lightening up almost anything on the grill, all while still packing a huge flavor punch. It's rich, tangy and complex taste is good enough to eat by the spoonful (guilty!), and I’ve been known to slather it on everything from red meat to chicken, and even fish and veggies. 

As a highly sensitive person, one thing that I always try to check in with myself when eating is if I am eating to nourish my body or eating to nourish my emotions.  Well, this BBQ love potion actually ticks off both boxes in my world nourishing my body just as much as it nourishes my inner child! The BBQ love potion is my updated take on Argentine Chimichurri, one of my childhood favorites! 

Though my maternal grandparents' families each hailed from different parts of Europe (Luxembourg and Hungary, respectively), they both emigrated to Argentina, creating a rich legacy of food culture in my family.  As a child, my grandfather instilled his love of food in me through hours together in the kitchen cooking and eating, teaching me to share love through food and passing on a few special recipes to continue his legacy. 

Cooking remains one of my favorite things to do, but like anything else in my life, I’m not great at following the rules. I tend to cook intuitively, unless I’m baking then rules are a must. I cook by picking the ingredients that I have handy and choose the amounts that feel right. I encourage you to do the same while making this recipe, using intuitive cooking as another tool to connect to your higher self!

So, without further ado, here is the basic recipe for my BBQ Love Potion, more commonly known as Argentine Chimichurri:

• Bunch of fresh parsley 
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic (who am I kidding, the more the better?)
• 1-2 scallions (white and green parts)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (or serrano for more heat)
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar 
• black pepper 
• pink Himalayan sea salt

There are a couple of ways to make chimichurri and in my opinion there really isn’t a wrong way to make it (unless you include cilantro*), but personally I prefer the “rustic” version. To make the rustic version, follow these simple steps:

1. Wash, dry and chop parsley, removing the stems. Place parsley into clear jar or container. *Parsley should be the main ingredient in this recipe and take up most of the room in the container. 
2. Finely chop up garlic and scallion. Add to jar.
3. Finely dice jalapeño, removing the inside white pith which may be bitter. Add to jar. 
4. Add remaining ingredients to taste. See below.

I believe that the beauty of cooking is that you get to make it your own, based on what you like and what you have available to you! For traditional chimichurri, I believe the proper olive oil to red wine vinegar ratio is 60/40, but I prefer a stronger vinegar tang, so I’ll cater the recipe to the tastes of who is eating it. 

I’ve substituted red wine vinegar with different types of vinegar including white and apple cider vinegar with very tasty results! I’ve also subbed things like shallots for the scallions, and crushed red pepper for fresh pepper when they aren’t readily available. Don’t be afraid to experiment with what you have available!

The other method of making chimichurri is to puree it in a food processor creating a smooth, homogeneous mixture.  Both options are equally as delicious and just as impressive, so it’s your choice how much time you have and how many dishes you feel like washing after (or at least that’s how i think about it!).  I happen to think there's something beautiful about seeing the vibrant colors and pieces of whole ingredients in my cooking, but again, personal preference wins!

Not only do it's fresh flavors add brightness and balance to anything thats grilled or smoky, it’s full of heart-healthy ingredients that also work in tandem with the heart chakra! Any naturally green vegetable (jalepeño, scallion) or green herb (parsley) works to support the heart chakra since they resonate to the same color vibration! 

​Eating fresh, colorful foods are important not only to your physical body, but to your energetic body as well! Since we eat on a regular basis, food can be a great way to consistently balance and maintain your chakra health! Try to incorporate as many different fresh fruits and vegetables as you can within each meal to consistently nourish each and every chakra!

There are a ton of great ways to keep your chakras balanced on a regular basis including yoga, exercise and meditation. If you like the idea of meditation, but aren't quite sure where to start yet, I'd like to invite you to try my Chakra Sound Bath meditation! It's 5 minutes of pure bliss in MP3 form! 

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I hope you've enjoyed learning how to make your next BBQ a little more magical! I can't wait to hear all about your summertime fun using the recipe! Please be sure to post your pics and comments below when you make it for yourself!

Love and Light,
​xo Arielle