Going Green Goddess Salad
February 20, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Today, we’re doing our part and going green.
Our moms would be so proud!
I’m sure I’ve told you guys this before, but I write all of my posts in advance. Since blogging is just a hobby for me on top of a full time job, being a single dog mom, church responsibilities, and an attempt to have at least a little bit of a social life; I have to make good use of the free time that I have and plan as far ahead as I can. That’s actually why some posts seem a little less committed to an exact point of time based on how far in advance I’m writing them.
A coworker asked me a few weeks ago if I’m actually up at 5:30am typing up these posts since that’s when I publish them and post of Facebook. The answer is “heck no”. I usually have a few posts drafted at a time, so all that I need to do is a quick reread and click the button in those early hours of the morning.
I’m telling you this, because today’s post is probably the freshest description of a recipe in my mind that I’ve ever written. Because as I type, I’m currently chowing down on today’s salad along with some of Monday’s pasta.
And I just didn’t want you thinking that I was eating pasta and salad at 6am on a Thursday morning.
Though, I really don’t think you guys would judge me if I was, would you?
Anyways, we’re on GREEN day in our Taste the Rainbow Challenge, and I’m totally obsessed with today’s recipe.
So today, we’re making Going Green Goddess Salad!
For as much as I hate orange foods, I make up for it by loving green ones. I’ve always been a fan of green veggies (more so raw than cooked), so this salad is basically going down in history as GOAT for me.
Let’s start with the salad mix. We need some chopped romaine, torn baby spinach, shaved brussels sprouts, fresh microgreens, creamy avocado, and crisp cucumber to build the base of our salad. I used pea microgreens for this salad that I actually grew all by myself from seeds that I bought on Amazon. Let me tell you, from someone who is a big time plant killer, even I can grow microgreens and keep them alive long enough to harvest. And the best part, they take less than two weeks from planting before you have fresh homegrown microgreens ready to eat! I love the sweet pea flavor that the pea microgreens add to this salad, but if you can’t find them or don’t feel like growing them, you can certainly use some sliced sugar snap peas to replicate the flavor.
You can’t have salad without dressing, so a thick and creamy Green Goddess dressing is what we’re going to make to coat all of our delicious greens. This is actually the same exact spread that I used to make our Turkey Green Goddess Tea Sandwiches a while back. I just added a little olive oil to help thin it out and make it more of a salad dressing. All we need to do is toss some parsley, basil, chives, mayo, olive oil, and seasonings in a blender or food processor, and let it do it’s thing. Dressing…done!
What we’re left with is a salad that hits all of the notes…creamy from the avocado and dressing, crunchy from the cucumbers and brussels, and totally crisp and refreshing. Heaven! This salad is a pretty hearty side salad, but if you want to take it up even another notch to make it a main course, adding some grilled or roasted shrimp would really make this salad next level.
And, now I’m drooling all over my yummy green salad.
Ok, everyone! Tomorrow, we’re putting on our blue suede shoes and making (what I think) is the most fun recipe of the bunch!
‘Til then, enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Going Green Goddess Salad
Serves: 4 Print
Ingredients:
For the Green Goddess Dressing:
½ cup parsley, chopped
2 tbsp chives, chopped
1 tbsp basil, chopped
½ tsp worcestershire sauce
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of pepper
For the Salad:
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups baby spinach, torn
1 cup shaved brussels sprouts
½ cup microgreens (I used pea microgreens)
1 cup cucumber, sliced
1 avocado, diced
salt, to taste
Directions:
Make the Green Goddess Dressing: In a food processor, add parsley, chives, basil, worcestershire, lemon juice, and pepper. Process for a few second until broken down. Add mayonnaise and olive oil. Process until combined and smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the Salad: Divide lettuce, spinach, brussels sprouts, microgreens, cucumber, and avocado evenly between 4 bowls. Season with a pinch of salt. Top with dressing. Serve immediately.
Recipe notes:
*If you wanted to make this salad a little heartier so it can function as a main coarse, add some roasted shrimp. DELISH!
*If you're not serving all of the salads right away, wait to add the avocado, cucumber, and dressing. Those should be added right before serving.
*I love the sweet pea flavor that the pea microgreens have. I actually grew my own from a seed kit I found on Amazon. (They grow in less than 2 weeks!) If you can't find pea microgreens, some sliced sugar snap peas would work nicely in this salad too. The taste is similar. The microgreens are just more delicate.
