Green Goddess Crudite

Holiday and party season is just around the corner, and we always need a good dip and crudité situation for happy hour, no?

Well, that's what I tell myself. Bright, colorful veggies liven up any get together, in my opinion.

So I'm giving you this Basil Green Goddess Dressing recipe. Whenever I make I, the young and old rave about its loveliness. So, get on it! I like this because it truly is a salad dressing recipe so it doesn't feel overtly heavy  as a dip. It's a thinner consistency, which I love.

It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe, so you know it's amazing. Serve with whatever veggies you like. My fam usually grooves on peppers, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, scallions and celery.

Basil Green Goddess Dressing
From "Barefoot Contessa at Home"
By Ina Garten 

1 cup good mayonnaise
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (6 to 7 scallions)
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tsp. chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 tsp. anchovy paste
1 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sour cream and process just until blended. (If not using immediately, refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve.)

Serve with your favorite cut-up veggies such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, broccoli, scallions, etc.

Cauliflower Soup: Trickery at Its Finest

I'm not one for disguises. Especially regarding food.

I know it's like totally a thing for moms to hide veggies inside of baked goods and burgers and smoothies and what not. That's not really how I roll.

But this Cauliflower Soup is a charade I totally support. It has the look and feel of decadent Potato Soup, but surprise, surprise, it's just 100 percent cauliflower. And celery and onion - two other lowly workhorses in the kitchen. Just a touch of butter and no cream, this recipe is beyond simple and truly delish. Who knew the humble cauliflower could be so luscious?

Top a bowl of this deliciousness with cheddar cheese and chives, and you could completely pass this off to your fam as potato soup. The thing is, the cauliflower soup has way less calories, fat and carbs than your potato variety. Here are the health stats, in case you care: One cup of pureed potato has 214 calories, 7 grams of fat, 3.1. grams of fiber and 35 grams of carbohydrates. One cup of pureed cauliflower has 142 calories, 0 grams of fat, 7 grams of fiber and 10 grams of carbohydrates. If you are on a health kick, this soup is totally for you!

Cauliflower Soup
Makes 6 servings

1 medium head of cauliflower, florets cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4-5 cups)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: Shredded cheddar cheese and chopped chives

In a large soup pan, add cauliflower, celery, onion and water. Bring to a boil. Cover partially and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Using a ladle or a spoon, transfer cauliflower mixture to a blender. Puree in blender until smooth.

Return the same soup pan to the stove. Add butter and heat over medium high. Once butter is melted and bubbling, add flour. Whisk to make a roux, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower mixture and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve with cheddar cheese and chopped chives.

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon

Salad for dinner is a hit in my house.

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon is easy to prepare and a beautiful meal that has something for everyone. You can change your veggies to suit the tastes of the players in your family. An arranged salad platter makes it easy for each person dining to select the salad items that suit his or her fancy. I like to serve the dressing on the side. Be sure to serve your salad with feta. It's such a nice touch. 

I use the same dressing for the salmon marinade as well as the salad dressing. Just make sure to carefully spoon the dressing onto the salmon and don't cross contaminate by touching the salmon with your spoon. You could also divide your dressing into two portions just to be safe. You just need about 1 Tablespoon of dressing per serving of salmon. The rest can be used at the table for the salad.

I round out this dinner with homemade hummus, crudité and warmed pita. Be sure to serve your salad with feta.

This is such a fun dish to make. Your kids can help, and it's a pleasant deviation from the same ole' rotation we get into during the week!

Greek Salad with Roasted Salmon
Makes 3 to 4 servings

Greek dressing
1/2 tsp. oregano
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Whisk vigorously. Set aside.

Salad:
Romaine lettuce, cleaned and dried, sliced into bite size pieces about 2-3 cups
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium red bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 medium green bell pepper, sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup grape tomatoes
1/4 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved

To serve: Greek dressing (See above recipe) and crumbled feta cheese

On a large platter, arrange each salad ingredient side by side in a circular formation. Serve with crumbled feta cheese and remaining dressing that was not used to marinate the salmon

Salmon:
3 to 4 salmon filets with skin or without (The skin peels right off once the salmon is cooked)
2 tsp. olive oil
3-4 Tablespoons of Greek dressing (See above recipe)

Preheat oven 500 degrees Fahrenheit

Cover sheet pan with aluminum. Lightly brush with olive oil. Place salmon filets on prepared pan. Spoon a Tablespoon of dressing over each salmon filet. Using a pastry brush, brush dressing over the salmon so that the entire filet is covered. Let salmon sit for 15 minutes at room temperature. Place in oven.

Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove skin from the bottom of salmon if necessary.

To serve: Place salad on a dinner plate. Top with dressing and feta cheese. Top with warm salmon.