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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Green Goddess Dressing over Cobb Salad

Tonight we made one of my favorite salads, the Cobb Salad.  This is a classic meal that really comes down to using whatever ingredients you have on hand to make a big, platter-style salad.  Start with a bed of chopped romaine, add any protein toppings you like, such as chopped turkey, ham or cooked chicken, add a few veggies like chopped tomatoes, green onions, or avocado, then a few yummy accompaniments, like crumbled cooked bacon, crumbled blue cheese or cheddar and a few diced hard-boiled eggs.  As many or as few toppings, any way you like it. (Kids love this meal!)

For the dressing we went with another classic that usually does not appear with the Cobb salad, a creamy, herb-infused, Green Goddess Dressing.


Green Goddess Salad Dressing is a restaurant classic created back in the 1920's in San Francisco.  The dressing was hugely popular during the 1960's and 1970's, and could be found on almost any restaurant menu in the country.  Then something happened.  This incredible dressing disappeared from diner menus in favor of ...Ranch!  Ugh.  Don't get me wrong, some homemade ranch dressings are OK, sort of, but they are not something I've ever been a fan of.  Especially the bottled ranch.

This recipe will explain why this dressing had such a huge following, it tastes amazing!  There are dozens of recipes that claim to be the "original".  Some recipes call for avocado or garlic, while others, like my version, do not contain either.  But the ingredients that are consistent are mayo, vinegar, fresh herbs, and anchovies.  Just a few ingredients and 30 seconds of blending time and that's it.  You have homemade dressing, full of bright herb flavors and no preservatives.  This recipe makes about 2 cups of dressing and will keep for 10 days in the refrigerator.

This dressing also makes a great veggie dip.  The kids and I tested this on carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and even pretzels and it was equally amazing on everything. lol  To serve this as a dip, just reduce the half and half in the recipe down to 2 or 3 tablespoons.  It is excellent!  Enjoy!!

Green Goddess Dressing
1 cup  Hellman's Light Mayonnaise
1/2 cup  Sour Cream
2 TB  Snipped Fresh Chives
2 TB  Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 TB  Chopped Fresh Tarragon
1 TB  Lemon Juice
1 TB  White Wine Vinegar
3 Anchovies + 1/2 tsp liquid from the can
Salt and Pepper to Taste
4 - 5 TB  Half and Half

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times.  Add half and half, one tablespoon at a time until the dressing is the desired consistency.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.

4 comments:

  1. I love green goddess dressing, especially with crab. Your cobb salad looks delicious.

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  2. We really enjoyed this dressing. All of those bright summer flavors wrapped into a creamy dressing. Yummy. Thanks for visiting, Karen, and for the nice compliment.

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  3. I can tell by that ingredient list that I would want to skip the salad and just drink the dressing! Homemade dressings, especially creamy ones, are just so much better than bottled.

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  4. Lol Christin, I have to agree with you. The dressing is so yummy and easy to make, we'll never buy bottled dressing again. Thanks for visiting!

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