Kid-friendly Enchanting Green Goddess Salad Recipe - Sticky Fingers Cooking
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Recipe: Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

Recipe: Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

by Erin Fletter
Photo by DiAnna Paulk/Shutterstock.com
prep time
10 minutes
cook time
makes
4-6 servings

Fun Food Story

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Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

Get ready to embark on a magical culinary adventure! The perky mix of green onions, parsley, and basil will transport you to a world of flavor. Toss it all in the creamy, tangy dressing and prepare to be enchanted by each lively bite!

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

  • chop :

    to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

  • knife skills :

    Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls)

  • measure :

    to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

  • pour :

    to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

  • squeeze :

    to firmly press or twist a food with fingers, hands, or a device to remove its liquid, like shredded potatoes, frozen and thawed spinach, or tofu.

  • toss :

    to lightly lift and drop food items together or coat food items with flour, or a sauce or dressing, as in a salad.

  • whisk :

    to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

Equipment Checklist

  • Blender
  • Salad bowl
  • Cutting board
  • Kid-safe knife
  • Measuring spoons
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Citrus juicer (optional)
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X

Ingredients

Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

  • 2 small heads of romaine lettuce, or 2 or 3 C bagged mixed greens
  • 1 zucchini
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 big handful fresh parsley
  • 1 big handful fresh basil
  • 1/2 lemon (for 1 T lemon juice)
  • 1 C full-fat plain yogurt **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub plain dairy-free/nut-free yogurt OR 1/2 C mayonnaise + 1/2 C coconut cream)**
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 T olive oil
  • water (if needed, to thin out dressing)

Food Allergen Substitutions

Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

  • Dairy: For 1 C full-fat plain yogurt, substitute plain dairy-free/nut-free yogurt OR 1/2 C mayonnaise + 1/2 C coconut cream.

Instructions

Enchanting Green Goddess Salad

1.
chop + add

Chop 2 heads of romaine lettuce into rough 1-inch pieces and add to a salad bowl. (If using bagged mixed greens, tear any too-large pieces in half.)

2.
chop + add + squeeze

Chop 1 zucchini into small pieces. Chop 2 green onions into rough 2-inch pieces. Add these veggies to your blender. Add 1 handful of fresh parsley and 1 handful of fresh basil. Cut 1 lemon in half and squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice on the veggies.

3.
measure + whisk

Measure and add 1 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 3 tablespoons olive oil to the veggies. Blend until the mixture is smooth and pourable. Add water as needed by the tablespoon until the mixture is thin enough to be poured.

4.
pour + toss

Pour 1/4 cup dressing on salad greens and toss, adding more dressing to taste if necessary. Save leftover salad dressing for later and enjoy!

Surprise Ingredient: Basil!

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Photo by Chizhevskaya Ekaterina/Shutterstock.com

Hi! I’m Basil!

"Ciao (chow)! I'm Basil! But you can also call me Genovese basil (that's Italian, from Genoa). My leaves are usually used fresh, added late in cooking to keep my flavor. If you combine me with olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese, you'll have a yummy, green Italian sauce called "pesto," which is good on pasta. You'll also find me on a delicious but simple pizza from Naples, Italy, called "pizza margherita." Besides fresh basil leaves, Neapolitans (people from Naples) traditionally top this pizza with a tomato sauce from San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt. Of course, basil is good in dishes from many countries!" 

History

  • A long time ago, Greeks and Romans believed basil would only grow if you screamed wild curses and shouted while sowing the seeds. They also thought that If you left a basil leaf under a pot, it would turn into a scorpion!
  • Basil may have originated in India; there are speculations that it originally came from tropical areas spanning from Southeast Asia to Central Africa. 
  • Ancient Egyptians used to use basil to embalm the dead and prepare for burial.
  • In Italy, basil is considered a token of love, and in Romania, if a girl gives a sprig of basil to her boyfriend, they are engaged. 

Anatomy & Etymology

  • Basil is a part of the mint family. There are 50 to 150 species, including Genovese (Italian) basil (the most common), Thai basil, cinnamon basil, lemon basil, lettuce basil, spicy globe basil, and green ruffles basil! Each type of basil has a unique aroma and taste. 
  • Leaves of the basil plant tend to be oval-shaped, shiny, and smooth-edged. Their edges cup slightly. 
  • Basil plants can grow to be from 8 inches to 4 feet high. 
  • Basil has seeds that can germinate after 10 years!
  • Basil will grow small flowers that look like spikes at the top of the plant. The flowers are edible, but we generally eat and use just the leaves.
  • The word "basil" comes from the Greek "vasilikos," which also means "royal." It is believed that basil was once used in royal perfumes. 

How to Pick, Buy, & Eat

  • Basil grows best in hot climates. When harvesting basil, pinch or cut the leaves at the stem from the top of the plant down. Select a few large leaves rather than snipping the whole stem. Choose leaves that are bright and free from blemishes. Picking leaves encourages the plant to produce more leaves. 
  • You could also try growing basil in a pot on your kitchen window sill, so it's easy to pick what you need when you need it.
  • Wash basil gently and pat dry. When you buy basil from the store, it will often come with its stems. Trim the ends of the stems and store in a glass of water as you would a bunch of flowers. Basil stores best at room temperature.
  • Use fresh basil leaves in salads, salad dressings, sauces, pasta, marinades, and sandwiches. Basil leaves in cold water make a nice summer refresher, or add some mint with the leaves to make a digestive hot tea. Basil can be dried or blanched and frozen. Dried basil enhances the flavor of tomato soup.

Nutrition

  • Basil contains 98% of our DV of Vitamin K1 in just one-half of a cup! Vitamin K1 is essential for blood clotting. For example, when we get a cut, we need our blood to clot so that the bleeding will stop and our cut will heal. 
  • Basil contains carotenoids—those powerful plant-based nutrients that protect our cells from oxidation (rust) and enhance immunity. 
  • Essential oils found in basil not only give it its aromatic and therapeutic scent but are also anti-inflammatory. 
  • Basil has been shown to act as an adaptogen. Adaptogens are natural substances that help us respond in a healthful way to stress. So the next time you're feeling stressed, grab a handful of basil, hold it to your nose, and breathe in deeply. Then, toss it in your salad and eat it.

 

History of Green Goddess Dressing!

Photo by Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
  • The most likely origin of Green Goddess Dressing is the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in 1923. The hotel’s executive chef, Philip Roemer, created the dressing to honor the actor George Arliss and a 1921 play he was in called The Green Goddess. 
  • The green herb dressing from the Palace was made of mayonnaise, anchovies, green onion, chives, parsley, tarragon, and garlic oil. 
  • The New York Times published a recipe for the dressing in 1948 that included Worcestershire sauce.
  • Green Goddess Dressing can be served on a fresh green salad. It can also be used as a vegetable dip or a sauce on grilled fish, meat, or sandwiches.

Let's Learn About the United States!

Photo by JeniFoto/Shutterstock.com (July 4th Picnic)
  • Most of the United States of America (USA) is in North America. It shares its northern border with Canada and its southern border with Mexico. It consists of 50 states, 1 federal district, 5 territories, 9 Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. 
  • The country's total area is 3,796,742 square miles, globally the third largest after Russia and Canada. The US population is over 333 million, making it the third most populous country in the world, after China and India.
  • The United States of America declared itself an independent nation from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, by issuing the Declaration of Independence.
  • The Revolutionary War between the US and Great Britain was fought from 1775-1783. We only had 13 colonies at that time! On September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and declared that the new nation would be called the United States. 
  • The 13 colonies became states after each ratified the constitution of the new United States, with Delaware being the first on December 7, 1787.  
  • The 13 stripes on the US flag represent those first 13 colonies, and the 50 stars represent our 50 states. The red color of the flag symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes innocence and purity, and blue symbolizes vigilance and justice.
  • Before settling in Washington DC, a federal district, the nation's capital resided in New York City and then Philadelphia for a short time. New York City is the largest city in the US and is considered its financial center. 
  • The US does not have a recognized official language! However, English is effectively the national language. 
  • The American dollar is the national currency. The nickname for a dollar, "buck," comes from colonial times when people traded goods for buckskins!
  • Because the United States is so large, there is a wide variety of climates and types of geography. The Mississippi/Missouri River, running primarily north to south, is the fourth-longest river system in the world. On the east side of the Mississippi are the Appalachian Mountains, the Adirondack Mountains, and the East Coast, next to the Atlantic Ocean. 
  • On the west side of the Mississippi are the flat Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains (or Rockies), and the West Coast, next to the Pacific Ocean, with several more mountain ranges in coastal states, such as the Sierras and the Cascades. Between the coasts and the north and south borders are several forests, lakes (including the Great Lakes), rivers, swamps, deserts, and volcanos. 
  • Several animals are unique to the US, such as the American bison (or American buffalo), the bald eagle, the California condor, the American black bear, the groundhog, the American alligator, and the pronghorn (or American antelope). 
  • The US has 63 national parks. The Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, and the Grand Canyon, with the Colorado River flowing through it, are among the most well-known and visited.
  • Cuisine in the US was influenced early on by the indigenous people of North America who lived there before Europeans arrived. They introduced beans, corn, potatoes, squash, berries, fish, turkey, venison, dried meats, and more to the new settlers. Other influences include the widely varied foods and dishes of enslaved people from Africa and immigrants from Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Pacific Islands. 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in the United States?

  • Education is compulsory in the US, and kids may go to a public or private school or be home-schooled. Most schools do not require students to wear uniforms, but some private schools do. The school year runs from mid-August or the beginning of September to the end of May or the middle of June.
  • Kids generally start school at about five years old in kindergarten or earlier in preschool and continue through 12th grade in high school. After that, many go on to university, community college, or technical school. 
  • Spanish, French, and German are the most popular foreign languages kids learn in US schools. 
  • Kids may participate in many different school and after-school sports, including baseball, soccer, American football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, and track and field. In grade school, kids may join in playground games like hopscotch, four-square, kickball, tetherball, jump rope, or tag.
  • There are several fun activities that American kids enjoy doing with their friends and families, such as picnicking, hiking, going to the beach or swimming, or going to children's and natural history museums, zoos and wild animal parks, amusement parks, water parks, state parks, or national parks. Popular amusement parks include Disneyland, Disney World, Legoland, Six Flags, and Universal Studios.
  • On Independence Day or the 4th of July, kids enjoy a day off from school, picnicking, and watching fireworks with their families. 
  • Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Thursday in November when students get 2 to 5 days off school. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are popular December holidays, and there are 2 or 3 weeks of winter vacation. Easter is celebrated in March, April, or May, and kids enjoy a week of spring recess around that time.  
  • Barbecued hot dogs or hamburgers, watermelon, apple pie, and ice cream are popular kid foods for 4th of July celebrations. Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are traditional Thanksgiving foods. Birthday parties with cake and ice cream are very important celebrations for kids in the United States!

THYME for a Laugh

What is green and sings? 

Elvis Parsley.

That's Berry Funny

What is the only food that you are allowed to play with? 

Yo-Yo Gurt!

Lettuce Joke Around

While cooking today, I accidentally rubbed some herbs in my eyes.

Now I’m parsley (partially) sighted!

The Yolk's On You

"Knock, knock!

"Who’s there? 

"Noah!

"Noah who? 

"Noah herb named Basil?

Lettuce Joke Around

Why does milk turn into yogurt when you take it to a museum?

Because it becomes cultured!

THYME for a Laugh

What is a seagull's favorite herb? 

BAY-sil!

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