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So many so-called “healthy” entrees are spoiled by deceptively high calorie sauces and marinades, hiding several hundreds of calories of fats and carbs in just a few tablespoons. This Cilantro Lime Sauce is one answer to that.

Coming it at a mere 16 calories per 1/4 lb serving of protein, it’s great on turkey tips, chicken or any white fish. And best yet, it it has only five simple ingredients and takes minutes to make!

The “Why” Behind the Recipe

This recipe, and it’s Garlic-Lemon partner we call “the Stuff” were both created to solve that common weight loss dilemma – how to cook healthy, lower calorie meals without sacrificing taste. It almost always comes down to the sauces and toppings. There are numerous health benefits to extra virgin olive oil; it’s one of the “good” fats. However, if you create a sauce or marinate and start with a base of a 1/4 cup of EVOO, you’re starting with 480 calories — a number that’s pretty much going to be a challenge for anyone counting their calories.

Another pitfall of healthy cooking comes from making recipes overly complex in order to perform the magic trick of creating taste without calories. But not everyone has an extra hour to prepare an evening meal. So it was a goal with both of these sauces to make them quick and easy. As long as you can zest a small piece of citrus, I think you’ll find this a breeze!

If you try this recipe out on something, please shoot me an email, or send me a photo via Instagram to show me. I think it’s really versatile, and I hope you find it helpful and enjoyable!

Ingredients (for 1 lb of Protein)

• 1 tbsp white wine
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp finely chopped cilantro or 2 tsp cilantro paste or 2/3 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped) or 1 tsp garlic paste
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (juice of 1 lime)

Oil and Wine

Start with the liquid ingredients. First, a tablespoon of white wine. We keep a bottle of white wine and a bottle of red wine open in our fridge to use for cooking — something I’d highly recommend. Most grocery stores have wine sections now. Get yourself an inexpensive bottle of each and keep them in the fridge after opening. You’ll be shocked how often you’ll use them in recipes. Partly because, without having easy access to a small amount of wine, you might ordinary shy away from such recipes. But with ready access, you’ll embrace those opportunities.

To the wine add just 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.  This is all that’s needed to get the emulsification going for the sauce. Again, while EVOO is a healthy fat, it’s still a not-inconsiderable caloric savings to make a sauce like this with just a teaspoon rather than the typical 1/4 (at least) called for in many so-called “healthy” recipes.

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Bring on the Herbs

Next up is the garlic and cilantro. For the garlic, add one clove, crushed. For the cilantro, two teaspoons of fresh cilantro, finely chopped.

At this point, let me say a word about a product line I’m crazy about that has never paid me a single penny nor sent me so much as a coupon or free sample (what’s keeping you, @gourmetgarden?) Gourmet Garden puts out these tubes of fresh stir-in paste herbs in the refrigerator section of the grocery store, and they are wonderful. For the garlic, if you prefer to use a regular clove of garlic and run it through a garlic press, I honestly think that’s fine. While Gourmet Garden is less messy, it’s not really that much of a time nor money saver over that method.

However for fresh herbs like the cilantro, parsley, or basil? It’s wonderful. For this recipe, for example. To get two teaspoons of fresh cilantro you’d most likely need to buy a small bunch of cilantro… most of which you would go to waste. Plus, chopping herbs is, often, a pain. But with Gourmet Garden 1 teaspoon of the paste is equal to 1 teaspoon of fresh herbs, so you can easily use these in all sorts of recipes, while keeping these herbs stocked in your fridge for later recipes. It’s great.

If, by the way, you don’t have access to Gourmet Garden, nor to fresh cilantro, and all you have is dried? That’s fine. Just remember that the replacement ratio for dried herbs to fresh herbs is 1:3… meaning if you want to replace 2 teaspoon of fresh cilantro you need to use just 2/3 of a teaspoon of dried cilantro.

Mix well after adding whatever version of the herbs you do add, and set aside.

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Lime Time

Now it’s all about the citrus.

First, zest your lime. For sake of ease, you can do it directly into the sauce mixture (no need to dirty another bowl).

Next, cut and squeeze the lime juice into the sauce. I have made this recipe more than a dozen times. Used all sorts of limes. And I can say without hesitation, that pretty much every lime will yield approximately 1 tablespoon of juice. So, you can (as I have done in the photo) juice the lime into a mixing spoon to make certain you get the required tablespoon and THEN add that to the sauce, or you can just juice the lime directly into the sauce and live dangerously. The choice is yours.

Either way, once done, mix until well combined and you’re all done!

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Many Applications

As mentioned previously, this sauce has many applications. Bellow are some photos of our favorite – Cilantro Lime turkey tips. We normally cut one pound of turkey tips into chunks and then add the sauce and let marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Remember, there is no salt nor pepper in this sauce, so you should salt/pepper your protein to your personal taste before adding the marinade.

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Again, if you do try this sauce in any different applications I’d love to hear about it, so that I can share it with others. Reach out through the blog, or through instagram. Hope you enjoy it!