I firmly believe that going plant-based does not mean you are doomed to eat salads for the rest of time. However, this one is particularly delicious and I simply must share my take on this modern classic. Biggest take-home message – make your own salad dressing. Trust me, it’s worth it.

• As with any recipe, make it your own by adding the ingredients that make YOU smile.
• Ideally I would not have been a complete nub and remembered to put in the avocado, but alas. I still listed it in the ingredients.
• My favorite thing to do with this green goddess business is to make a salad with entirely green ingredients. It just makes it more fun to eat.
• I have found that the key to a really unified salad is chopping everything together and in smallish pieces. Makes eating a bunch of cabbage a lot easier too.
• We got PROTEIN with the greek yogurt. We got FATS in the avocado and pepitas. We got ACID, we got CREAMY, we got FRESH, we got CRUNCH, we got a lot of other adjectives.
• I prepped all my veggies ahead of time and stored in the fridge in separate containers. This way, the veg keeps a lot longer and I have a meal ready to throw together at a moment’s notice. The dressing will keep for about a week and a half.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: none

Total time: 20 mins

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 head of green cabbage
• 1 large bunch of kale
• 1 large bunch of spinach
• 1 cucumber
• 1 avocado
• 2-3 green onions
• 1/2 cup of roasted, salted pepitas
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• croutons of choice

For the green goddess dressing

• 1-2 cups of plain greek yogurt
• 1 cup parsley
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup combined of any tender herb (I used chives, mint, and dill)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp honey or sweetener of choice
• about 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender. Adjust the amount of oil based on the desired thickness. In lieu of adding more oil, you can also add water to thin it out. Blend until smooth.
2. Chop up the leafy veg into small pieces. Add cubed cucumber and avocado and sliced green onion. Add croutons, pepitas, and parmesan.
3. Toss with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Listen, salads are great because they are ridiculously easy. I hope you guys give this one a try!