Here’s a lactose free green goddess dressing for those of us who are unable to digest lactose. Green Valley lactose free yogurt comes in handy for all sorts of recipes such as bread, cake and even popsicles. If regular dairy products suit you, go ahead and use your favorite brand of yogurt. Using a good mayonnaise is essential in this recipe as is seeking out the freshest herbs you can find.
This is one of the easiest and tastiest dressings you can make. It definitely falls into the rich category of dressings given that its main ingredient is mayonnaise, so I make it for special occasions or when I have a produce drawer full of crispy romaine hearts.
For a stunning salad, arrange steamed diced beets and avocado over green goddess dressing.
A green goddess dressed salad with a side of sourdough bread makes a splendid meal.
1/3 cup full fat plain lactose free yogurt (or regular yogurt)
1 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil
1/8 teaspoon finely grated garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a food processor (or use an immersion blender) combine the capers, mayonnaise, yogurt, parsley, basil, grated garlic and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Process until smooth and uniformly green. Transfer to a lidded jar, and stir in the tarragon, chives, a few dashes of kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with salt, pepper and reserved 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice.
Notes
Store dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I fell in love with this salad immediately. Not only is it a gorgeous salad to bring to the table, the flavors and different textures are superb. The addition of maple syrup in the dressing adds the perfect touch of sweetness that pairs so well with the intense flavors of bitter radicchio and briny, salty olives.
The original recipe from Bon Appetit calls for broken lasagna noodles. I used ribbon shaped mafaldine pasta instead because it is what I had available. Similar to lasagna with its ruffled edges, mafaldine is a very versatile pasta to have on hand.
Castelvetrano olives are a favorite of mine. Here on Maui they can be tricky to find. Sadly, Whole Foods does not sell them at their olive bar any longer though they are available packaged. You could substitute Picholine olives if you can’t find Castelvetranos.
The salad dressing is delightfully sweet and tart thanks to the maple syrup, red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice. A bit of nutritional yeast adds flavor and body to the dressing.
If you have any leftover salad, it can be stored in the refrigerator and eaten the next day. If possible, reserve some of the toasted almonds to sprinkle on just before serving so they retain their crunchy texture.
1 pound mafaldine or wavy lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
kosher salt
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped basil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground pepper
1 small head radicchio, thinly sliced
2 cups Castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn (can substitute with Picholine or other green olives)
Directions
Preheat toaster oven or oven to 400 degrees. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 6-9 minutes. Let cool slightly, then finely chop.
Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until tender (you don’t want al dente pasta salad). Drain and rinse under cool water.
Stir almonds, garlic, oil, parsley, basil, lemon juice, vinegar, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Season dressing generously with salt and black pepper.
Add noodles, radicchio, and olives to dressing and toss to combine. Serve with crusty sourdough bread.
I have always loved falafel though it’s not something you find often in Hawaii, and especially where we live, Maui. Cook’s Illustrated developed their recipe a few years back and I finally got around to making it. Maybe it took so long because in my mind I thought it would be a time consuming and fussy recipe. But once I made my own falafel, it was so delicious I was convinced that it was worth the effort and as it turned out, it’s not very fussy at all.
One of the important things to know is that dried chickpeas rule in this recipe. I soak them in the evening before I go to bed, then drain them in the morning.
Good falafel is full of fresh herbs and spices like cumin, coriander and a bit of cayenne pepper. The herbs make for a gorgeous color and terrific flavor in each bite.
Cook’s Illustrated incorporated the Asian bread-baking technique of using tangzhong in their falafel. This helps to make a cohesive mixture that ensures the falafel is moist and tender once cooked. The tangzhong for this recipe, consists of flour, water and baking powder. Try to work quickly once the tangzhong is ready. The baking powder is full of life.
These beautiful falafel patties are crisp on the exterior with tender interiors. They cook quickly and evenly and are easy to stuff into soft, warmed pitas. I pan- fried my falafel in a bit of oil, however, the original recipe instructs you to deep fry the falafel. You may prefer to follow this step if you shape your falafel into balls rather than patties. Serve the falafel with tahini sauce.
2 ounces fresh herbs: Italian parsley, cilantro and mint
½ cup chopped onion (fine)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (up to ¼ teaspoon for spicier falafel)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
oil for shallow frying or more for deep frying
Preparation
Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Make sure your bowl has plenty of space for the chickpeas to expand. Cover and soak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
Process Italian parsley, cilantro, mint, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper in a food processor for 5 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to process until the mixture resembles pesto, about 5 seconds longer. Add drained chickpeas and pulse 6 times. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to pulse until the chickpeas are coarsely chopped and resemble sesame seeds, about 6-10 more pulses. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk flour and ⅓ cup water in a bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 10 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth pudding-like consistency that forms a mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl; 20-40 seconds. Stir baking powder into the flour paste.
Add flour paste to chickpea mixture and using a rubber spatula, mix until fully incorporated. Divide mixture into 20 pieces (24 if forming balls) and gently form into a patty shape. If making balls, roll mixture into golf ball-size spheres. Transfer patties to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. The formed falafel can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours, covered.
Heat enough oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides of a wide high sided skillet (mine has 3" sides) over medium to medium-high heat. (If deep frying, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 325 degrees and fry half at a time for about 5 minutes until deep brown in color). Once the oil is hot, add patties and fry, turning the falafel to ensure all sides have browned nicely. You may need to turn the heat down if it's too hot (medium). Transfer cooked falafel to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Serve with tahini sauce (see link to recipe above).
