Green Goddess(ish) Sauce

This isn’t exactly Green Goddess Dressing though its got quite a few similarities. This is a zesty and bright sauce that will be delicious for topping salads, dipping vegetables, or spreading on wraps or sandwiches, it would make a good condiment for tacos. Today we are using it as a dipping sauce for my “Spring Rolls.”

What you need:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 ripe avocado

1 tsp salt/pepper

Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

One shallot, peeled

2-3 cloves roasted garlic (skin on in oven for 15 minutes at 400, then peel)

1/2 jalapeño pepper, no seeds

1/2 cup (loosely packed) each of basil, parsley, and cilantro

Put all ingredients in a blender until smooth. The flavors will meld together nicely after a few hours in the fridge so I like to make it ahead of time. It will be tasty for a few days but I’d toss it after that. Leave the pepper out if you don’t like heat, but we are a spicy family. Enjoy!

I love spring rolls for a light and healthy lunch and they are safe for the gluten free members of my family. For these, I simply filled them with roasted asparagus, diced rotisserie chicken, radishes, and butter lettuce. Spring rolls are delicate but once you get the hang of it, they are super easy. Just follow the package directions and you’ll be fine : )

One Dish Salmon and Spring Vegetables

I have shared this salmon glaze before and I changed it up just by adding a bit of lemon zest and juice to make it brighter and give it more dimension. Over the winter I used rosemary and thyme but parsley felt brighter and more “spring-timey” for today. This weeknight meal is heavy in our rotation because it’s mild enough for the kids, they actually love this salmon, and still interesting enough for Mom and Dad. It couldn’t be an easier meal to prepare.

what you need:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup marmalade ( I recommend Bon Maman)

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1 tsp dried parsley

zest and juice from half a lemon

fresh ground salt and pepper

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a large glass measuring cup. Preheat oven to 400. Clean, peel, and/or chop your vegetables. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place carrots and radishes on the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 10-15 minutes until half way cooked. Remove pan from the oven and place salmon and asparagus on the pan and sprinkle salt and pepper on the fish and asparagus. Drizzle glaze evenly over top of the salmon and vegetables. Put back in the oven until fish is cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). Enjoy 😊.

Seared Ribeyes with Chimichurri

This steak recipe is so delicious and easy. I like to make the chimichurri in advance so the vinegar will cut some of the harshness out of the raw garlic and shallots. It’s potent but so flavorful and bright. A friend of mine recently made this and we were pouring the chimichurri on our steak, mashed potatoes, swirling it into the salad....its very addictive.

What you need:

1 large boneless ribeye (about 1 lb)

salt and pepper

olive oil

3/4 cup of fresh parsley

2 tbsp fresh oregano

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 large shallot

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper or mixed peppercorns

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Make the chimichurri up to 24 hours in advance but at least 1 hour in advance, the longer it sits the milder it will be. Finely chop all of your herbs, garlic, and shallots and mix with your olive oil and vinegar. Add remaining spices and refrigerate until you begin cooking everything else. Pull the chimichurri out of the fridge at least 30 minutes in advance so it can be served room temperature.

For the steak, I like to bring it to room temperature (let sit out for an hour before cooking) and season with salt and pepper. This depends on the size of your steaks, but for last night’s steak which was about 1 1/2 inches thick, we seared 3 minutes per side in a cast iron grill pan (preheat the pan so you can get a good sear) and finished in the oven for about 6 minutes at 450 degrees. Let the steak rest about 5-7 minutes before slicing and serving.