Healthy Green Goddess Dressing

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Light and tangy Healthy Green Goddess Dressing is a flavorful sauce for fresh salad greens. This homemade dressing is made with fresh herbs, low-fat Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, and other healthy ingredients.

If you are following the Mediterranean diet, actively watching your calories, or are just eating a healthy diet, this dressing is a great sauce to add flavor to your vegetables.

Including a leafy green vegetable salad as half your plate at lunch and dinner, provides vitamins, minerals, and much-needed fiber.

Adding a light dressing of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar works most of the time, but sometimes you want a little variety. This healthy Green Goddess Dressing is just the ticket.

Making salad dressing from scratch is super quick and easy. You control the ingredients, and I prefer the flavor of homemade to store-bought varieties.

Ingredients for Green Goddess Dressing

This dressing starts with fresh parsley and chives. I find fresh herbs in the vegetable section of my grocery store. You can almost always find fresh options, but if you can't locate them at your grocery store, you can substitute dried parsley and chives.

Tip: when substituting dried herbs for fresh, you will need much less because dried herbs are more concentrated. Basically a ratio of 3 to 1, fresh to dried. For parsley, you might use 1/4 to 1/3 cup dried. For chives, start with 2-3 teaspoons.

The classic recipe for this dressing almost always includes tarragon. This recipe calls for both dried tarragon and tarragon vinegar. Tarragon is a herb with a mild licorice flavor.

Greek yogurt is included to add a creamy base to this dressing. Full of protein, low-fat versions offer a great substitute for sour cream. Adding a small amount of milk and olive oil helps make the dressing pourable. I used coconut milk, but you can use other nut milk of your choice. The small amount of milk will yield a minor flavor impact.

Lemon juice helps brighten and add a tangy bite. Worcestershire sauce adds a little brine and includes the anchovy taste you will see in some traditional recipes.

How to Prepare Fresh Dressing

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If you are using fresh herbs, I suggest using a food chopper or blender to get finely chopped herbs which will lend to a smoother dressing. I love this little 3.5 cup food chopper #ad. It is quick to assemble and easy to use, just by depressing the handle. I use it to chop herbs as well as other recipe ingredients.

Simple load the herbs, yogurt, cayenne pepper, and salt. Pulse until you see the herbs start to chop and the mixture start to blend. It will be thick.

Next, you can slowly add the liquid ingredients as you pulse the chopper. Mine has a little well in the lid where you pour the liquid and it dispenses into the chopper as you blend the ingredients.

Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides of the chopper or blender to make sure all the ingredients are mixed and herbs are finely chopped.

The dressing can be served right away, but the flavors will improve if you refrigerate for an hour. Drizzle over salad greens or serve as a dip with raw vegetables.

Tip: if making for a dip decrease milk to 1/4 cup for a thicker dipping consistency.

What to Serve With Green Goddess Dressing

This dressing adds a light and tangy flavor to your favorite salad greens. I like to purchase a box of spring mix greens, then add cherry tomatoes, and other vegetables I have on hand.

I love English cucumbers. They have thinner skin, almost no seeds, and a milder flavor than regular cucumbers. I might also include, finely chopped bell peppers. Red, yellow, and orange varieties have a sweeter flavor than the traditional green pepper.

For added variety, I occasionally add a salad topping or two. Have you tried the Fresh Gourmet varieties? I love the Crispy Red Peppers or the Wonton Strips. For a little added sweetness add a tablespoon of dried cranberries, cherries, or chopped dried apricots.

Looking for other healthy salad dressings? Check out my Simple Mediterranean Salad Dressing.

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