Green Goddess Dressing

I’m getting into the dressing game.

After years of relying on the grocery store shelves to determine what I could slather on leaves in an attempt to trick myself into eating vegetables, it’s about time I started taking matters into my own hands by seeing what a few minutes, a handful of common ingredients, and an impossibly large collection of empty jars can do.

One of my absolute favorite dressings is green goddess. It’s thick and creamy with a deep green hue and a medley of flavors ranging from slightly spicy to a little bit brine-y. Traditionally, green goddess dressing is made with egg yolks, mayonnaise, garlic, anchovies, salt, and pepper - not unlike its fellow dressing, Ceasar. But the addition of a handful of fresh herbs sets it apart (and gives it its lovely green color).

While I’m usually not one to shy away from traditional recipe ingredients, for my first foray into dressing-making, I decided to take a few creative liberties. More specifically, I ditched the anchovies and eggs. Don’t get me wrong, I love eggs and tolerate (at best) anchovies, but since there’s no real “cooking” or heat involved, I felt a tad iffy about using them. I also wanted a dressing that was on the lighter side, so I swapped out the mayonnaise for plain, full fat (or whole milk) Greek yogurt. It helps the dressing keep its wonderful viscosity, but doesn’t make it feel quite as heavy.

The beauty of this easy homemade dressing is that any herbs will do as long as you’ve got enough for at least one cup. I happened to have on hand tarragon, dill, and cilantro which created a nice mix. But if you’ve only got one bunch of herbs, it’ll still be grand. This is also the perfect way to use up all the herbs in the garden before the big frost of fall sweeps over them for good.

With just a 20-minute prep time this light, spicy, and deliciously herbaceous take on the traditional green goddess dressing is sure to become an instant favorite!

Green Goddess Dressing

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup plain, whole milk Greek yogurt

• 1 cup fresh herbs (I used tarragon, dill, and cilantro), roughly chopped

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp fine salt like sea salt or kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, roughly chopped

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, place the Greek yogurt, herbs, garlic cloves, salt, chives, lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper. Pulse on low until the ingredients have fully combined, creating a light green sauce that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper to taste.

TO STORE: Dressing can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

SOURCE: Adapted from Love and Lemons