Brian and I absolutely adore hosting Easter each year for my family, and I know we will miss that tradition when we move to Denver next year.

While I always fill our Easter eggs and baskets with lots of delicious chocolate and make sure to prepare a yummy dessert, the table isn’t complete without a few GREEN items to round out the meal.

The past two lunches I have had at Cafe Patachou, I have ordered the delicious  Green Goddess Salad.  Because I totally had that salad on the brain when creating my Easter menu I used it as inspiration when tossing my salad ingredients into the bowl.

When I create my own salads, I almost get overwhelmed because of all the topping options (they all sound so good!) and end up throwing everything AND the kitchen sink into a bowl and calling it a  meal.  Now, I have no problem eating a salad like that, but I would hardly call my kitchen sink salads a “recipe.”  When I go out to eat I LOVE ordering salads because they DON’T just throw the entire contents of the kitchen into a bowl and call it a day.

There is strategy…sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, crisp….textures and flavors are combined to make the perfect fresh dish.

The Patachou Green Goddess salad contains apple, tomato, avocado, gorgonzola, hard boiled egg, and homemade Green Goddess dressing.

In my version, I used the avocado as a dressing, omitted the hard boiled egg since this was a side salad and incorporated cinnamon dusted nuts rather than gorgonzola cheese.

The end result was a salad with sweet and savory flavors with crisp textures that had everyone cleaning their plates 🙂  SUCCESS!

I hope you enjoy this yummy dish!

Green Goddess Salad with Avocado Dill Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup cinnamon roasted nuts (can be homemade or purchased from the store)
• Avocado Dill Dressing

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients accept dressing.
2. When ready to serve toss all ingredients with the avocado dill dressing until coated with enough dressing for your taste.
3. Serve as a delicious side salad, or top with your favorite protein (hard boiled egg, chicken, salmon, tofu, etc) to make this salad a meal.

Avocado Dill Dressing:

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in the food processor or blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. This dressing will not be runny like your typical dressing, it will be very creamy and thick.  Despite the fact that it is not runny, it will still toss well with the salad.

Inspired by the Cafe Patachou Green Goddess Salad

Question of the Morning:

• What is the best salad you have had recently?
• What’s your favorite salad from a restaurant?