This light green goddess dressing gets an extra boost of flavor and a dose of creaminess from fresh avocados. It will make any salad shine! 66 calories and 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP. Thank you to California Avocados for helping me share this recipe with you.
Recently I mentioned to a friend that my boys are now old enough to appreciate a good dinner salad. She chuckled and told me she didn't think it had anything to do with age because she can't get her husband to eat salads for dinner, at least not as a main course. He's all about the meat and potatoes.
That got me thinking. What makes a salad good enough to convince even the most traditional meat-and-potatoes person to delve into the world of dinner salads?
I came up with three things...some sort of protein (to fill you up); plenty of fresh, seasonal produce (for the freshest flavors); and a great dressing (no explanation needed there!).
For the protein, almost anything goes - chicken, shrimp, salmon, steak, pork tenderloin or tofu. For the fruits and veggies, just head to your local market and see what's seasonal. And the dressing? I highly recommend making your own. It takes mere minutes and the flavor is far superior to anything you'll find in a bottle. Plus, the absence of mystery preservatives is always a bonus! For some basic salad dressing tips, see How to: Make a Vinaigrette.
As much as I love a good vinaigrette, sometimes I crave creamy and smooth. Green goddess dressing is always a popular option, but I'm not a fan of mayo- or sour cream-based dressings. The challenge was to come up with a dressing that used something other than those two ingredients to make it creamy.
The answer? Avocados! March is the start of California avocado season and, lucky for all of us, they are in season through September. Hallelujah! Not only do they add fantastic flavor and a creamy texture, but avocados are packed with healthy fats, fiber and vitamins.
This version includes some of the telltale ingredients of classic green goddess dressing recipes, including anchovies and tarragon. Don't let the anchovies scare you off. They add a very subtle layer of flavor and do not add a fishy flavor to the dressing. As for the tarragon...well, it's one of my favorite herbs, and one of the most under-utilized, in my opinion. You'll be smitten!
Other recipes with California avocados:
Cookin' Canuck's Baked Salmon Meatballs with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Cookin' Canuck's Tequila-Spiked Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado
Cookin' Canuck's Running to the Kitchen's Tuna Sushi Bowl with Avocado Wasabi Dressing
Souffle Bombay's Avocado Bacon Hummus
Shrinking Kitchen's Avocado Breakfast Tostada
Light Avocado Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 California avocado peeled & pitted
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup tarragon leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon agave nectar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add more water for a thinner consistency, if desired. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Sandy@RE
Dara, this looks fantastic. We love avocados and this dressing would be awesome on taco salad!
Rachel Cooks
I have a similar recipe coming soon - I love the creaminess that the avocado lends to a dressing. Gorgeous photos!
jody
I am so sorry; the oatmeal comment was meant for your baked oatmeal as I am reading all of your recipes! lol.
jody
fellow Vancouverite here now residing in Socal. I emailed you! 🙂
Trying to do WW so I appreciate your point listings.
What can you use if you don't like anchovies (yuck?)
And how many servings is this as it seems really hign in points for oatmeal. is it more satiating?
Dara
Thanks for stopping by, Jody! For the anchovies, I promise that you really don't taste them - it's more of an undertone savory flavor (anchovies are a standard ingredient in Green Goddess dressings, so if you've enjoyed Green Goddess in the past, it likely contained anchovies). That being said, if you'd prefer to avoid them, you could try add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce.
I will double check on the oatmeal points. We can always hope the number is actually less, right? 🙂
Dara
Hi again, Jody,
I just recalculated the points for the oatmeal and they are correct. To answer your question, it is indeed very satiating. If I eat that for breakfast, I easily make it through to lunch. That being said, you could do a few things to reduce the points: cut the oatmeal into 12 squares instead of 9 (that alone would cut the SmartPoints to 7), reduce the amount of maple syrup, reduce the amount of dried fruit (which adds sugar, albeit natural ones). I hope that helps!
Deb @ Cooking on the Front Burner
I bet this is super versatile! Looks so creamy and good!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles
I just love the thought of this avocado dressing on my next fresh salad. Tarragon...it's been my latest fresh herb obsession!
Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen
I want to put this on everything!!!! 🙂 It's like avocado caesar dressing!
Cathy Trochelman
OH my goodness...I want to down this dressing (aka eat it on everything)!!!
Michelle | A Latte Food
Ooh, I cannot wait to try this! I love avocado everything!
Andi @ The Weary Chef
I am a huge lover of avocados! And this is absolutely right up my alley! Love all those fresh herbs! Can't wait to try this!
Megan {Country Cleaver}
The flavors here look absolutely divine!!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
This is just gorgeous - especially that stunning photo of the pretty, fresh ingredients in the food processor! I love homemade dressings for so many reasons - especially because they're so much more delicious, and you can totally control what goes in and ensure that it's much healthier, too! So awesome using avocado to get rich creaminess without naughty fats!
Colleen (Souffle Bombay)
What a beautiful dressing! Avocados are the best!! It's fantastic your boys are getting into salads...my daughter only eats the ingredients of a salad separate and my son just wants the lettuce. Neither will touch dressing...yet! Can't wait to try this!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
I love love love you how threw tarragon in this dressing. That herb is killing it lately for me, I've been putting it in ALL THE THINGS! Can only imagine how perfectly it goes with avocado. I need to whip up a batch of this to have on hand for my daily salads 🙂
Kate | HappyForks.com
There is one more thing I would add to perfect salad. It would be something crunchy! Apparently chewing crispy foods produces pleasant vibrations in the skull and our brain loves it! It might explain why we all like snacking so much. Adding some nuts or seeds might make salads more attractive to all unconvinced ones.
Bintu | Recipes from a Pantry
I think you just converted a side salad only eater to a main dish salad eater! I'm definitely going to give this dressing a try with the leftover avocado I have wrapped up in the fridge!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Love that you made Green Goddess dress extra green with avocado! Luckily I can sometimes get my 3- and 5-year-olds to eat dinner salads, so I'l have to make this dressing!
Kim Dryden
I swear, I must be secretly Canadian by birth or something. ALL of your recipes strike me as awesome, well, most of them anyway. 😀 And ALL of them give proof of respect and love. Love your site, love your recipes... \
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Cheers!
Kim
Justine | Cooking and Beer
Love green goddess dressing and the addition of avocado just sends it over the edge!
Rosie
I would like to know if I can use a Blender instead of a Food Processor to blend the Ww creamy Avocado dressing??
Looks delish!!
Thank you.
Dara
You can certainly give it a shot. I always find that blending smaller ingredients of ingredients (like with a dressing) doesn't work as well in my blender, particularly if there's not much liquid.
Tatyana
This sounds awesome! Can't wait to try.