Parsley Salad Dressing

Filled with vitamin-rich parsley, this herbal salad dressing is good on green salads as well as on steamed vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, and squashes. Many markets sell overly large bunches of herbs like parsley; they're perishability makes it hard to use them up before they start losing their freshness. This dressing, which can be made oil-free if you prefer, is a great solution. Photos by Evan Atlas.

Makes: about 1 to 1 ½ cups

1 to 1 ½ cups cup firmly packed fresh parsley
(depending on how much you need to use up; some stem is fine)
1 heaping cup peeled, seeded, and chopped cucumber
2 tablespoons lemon juice (½ lemon), or more, to taste
2 tablespoon minced fresh dill, optional
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt, optional
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in the container of a food processor. Process until all that remains of the parsley is tiny flakes.

Transfer to a tightly lidded container. Refrigerate any unused portion in an airtight container and use it within a few days.