As soon as someone says salad, there are many people who frown a bit. The image that pops up in our head is that of a huge bowl of green, leafy vegetables dunked together to be eaten raw. Since it doesn’t sound as appetising as a creamy mac and cheese, we understand why many people may avert. On days when you are on a diet or trying to lose weight, it is assumed that you’ll be told to eat fresh and natural food like, any guesses? Yes, salad. But it would be wrong to say that salads can’t be tasty.
The Trend Of Green Goddess Salad
Recently, a TikToker named @bakedbymelissa shared the recipe for something called the Green Goddess Salad and it went viral. Although she specialises in baked goodies like cupcakes, macaroons and more, she has tried her hands at salads in the past too. However, it was this age-old salad recipe that went viral on the short video-sharing platform. Here’s a repost of her viral recipe on Instagram that you can watch.
Source: Today Show/Instagram
In the video, you can see her begin by fine-chopping some vegetables like cabbage, cucumber and spring onions. Then she goes on to make the dressing for the salad which consists of garlic, onions, shallots, lemon juice, spinach, basil, nutritional yeast, cashews and walnuts. All the ingredients are blended together in olive oil to form a smooth green paste which is poured over the chopped vegetables later. Once the vegetables are properly covered in the dressing, she picks up a chunk of it with a cracker and eats it.
A Tad Bit Of Green History
Did you know that this dish can be eaten as a salad as well as a dip? You can pair it with chips, crackers and nachos and enjoy a healthy treat at a house party or while binge watching your favourite movie at night. The highlight of the viral salad is the dressing which entails an interesting tale of its origin. The green dressing was innovated at a hotel in San Francisco in 1920. Around this time, the actor of the play, Green Goddess, which later went on to become a talkie film, George Arliss was staying at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. The executive chef of the hotel served this dressing along with the salad to him and since he enjoyed eating it, the dressing was named after his play.
The traditional method of preparing this dish involved the use of heavy cream and sour cream but the viral recipe substitutes them with nuts like cashews and walnuts to give it a creamy texture. The good part of this salad dressing is that it can be a dip, a salad dressing and a sandwich spread too.
If you’re intrigued by this powerhouse of nutrients, here are ways in which you can include it in your everyday diet.
1. Green Goddess Hummus
Hummus is a traditional Middle-Eastern dip that is served with soft and chewy pita bread. The main ingredient of the dip is chickpeas. Add some green onion, spinach and parsley to your regular hummus to give it a greenish touch. Not only does it taste delicious, it looks vibrant and healthy too.
2. Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Spruce up your sandwiches with a layer of the green goddess dressing. Slather it on the base of the slice and top it with spinach, avocado and various other leafy vegetables. Sprinkle some grated mozzarella cheese on it and grill it well.
3. Green Goddess Wraps
Without any bread, tortillas or taco shells, you could make a wrap, did you know this? The spinach leaves can be used to wrap in all your veggies along with oodles of green goddess dressing or dip. The crunch is perfectly complemented by the creamy dip.
