Green--The Goddess of Salad Dressings

Spring is here and, after quite a lot of rain, everything is bright, green, blooming and absolutely gorgeous which means that salad season is upon us. Yes, my friends, it's time to say goodbye to soups, stews, braised and roasted meats and other hearty winter foods and hello to salads.

The dark, dreary and cold winter days inherently makes us want comfort foods. But when spring arrives and the sun shines, I'm ready to shed a little winter bulk and lighten up a bit. I do love salads, but vinaigrette can get monotonous.

Fortunately, the April issue of Bon Appetit features four contemporary twists to traditional salad dressings. The one that caught our attention was Green Goddess--an absolute favorite of ours. When David saw the recipe, he said, "We have got to make this! And honey, it's seemingly good for you!" I guess you should know that our affinity for Green Goddess has been challenged over the last few years and we have been in a severe state of withdrawal.

We used to go to a restaurant in San Antonio that makes amazing Green Goddess salad dressing, but the food is just bleh. So bleh, in fact, that I won't even go there anymore to have a bleh salad with spectacular Green Goddess dressing.

Going without this dressing has not been easy. Let me tell you. Sometimes David would suggest he order takeout from this restaurant just so he could get his Green Goddess fix. But we stood our ground and agreed to bide our time knowing that we would find a healthy alternative to make at home, because we knew the one we loved did not qualify as healthy. Delicious, absolutely, but not good for you. We searched for a recipe that was not full of bad stuff or loaded with mayo and sour cream. Nothing seemed to answer our prayers. Until now.

This Green Goddess recipe is it! If you love Green Goddess or even just like it, this is the only recipe you'll ever need. For those of you who may not know or definitely don't like Green Goddess, you will after you make it. It's creamy, full of herbs and flavor. The best part--it will make you want to eat salad every day.

Buen provecho!

Green Goddess Salad Dressing
The Cowgirl Gourmet found this recipe in the April 2012 issue of Bon Appetit

Print recipe

Full of herbs, tangy, creamy and delicious--you'll fall in love with Green Goddess. That is, if you aren't already in love with her.


Makes a little over 1 cup

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup buttermilk, organic
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 anchovy fillets, packed in oil, chopped and drained
1 garlic clove, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chives from the garden

Flat-leaf parsley from the garden

In a food processor, puree the first 8 ingredients until smooth. Season with Kosher salt and pepper.

Homemade mayo and organic buttermilk

Flat-leaf parsley, anchovies, lemon, chives, tarragon and garlic

Pour into a container and refrigerate so flavors meld and the dressing thickens up.

Liberally dress fresh and crispy greens, sliced radishes, cucumbers, celery, thinly sliced red onions and tomatoes with dressing, top with lots of freshly ground black pepper and enjoy! Use leftover dressing as a dip for carrot sticks, celery sticks and cucumbers.