{recipe} Mexican Green Goddess Dressing

The other night, my sister graciously invited me over for dinner and asked me to bring a salad. She told me she was making potato and chorizo tacos from this fantastic Tacolicious recipe featured in Food & Wine, and I hemmed and hawed over what kind of salad to make, since I can never figure out what salad goes with Mexican food. I decided to take a little creative license and throw a bunch of things in a blender to create something akin to a Mexican Green Goddess dressing–a tangy, creamy blend of pepitas (raw green pumpkin seeds) from the local Mexican market, coriander, cilantro, and lime.

Call me La Ganadora! I was tempted to lick the jar clean before the salad was served. This would be good on tortillas, on chicken, on toast, whatever–to me, it’s like salad dressing crack. Did I mention you just make it by throwing a bunch of things in a blender?

As for the salad, do what you like. I went with a torn head of red leaf lettuce with Granny Smith apple, red onion, and avocado, topped with corn tortilla strips quickly fried in oil and salted.

Did you know that coriander and cilantro are from the same plant? “Coriander” usually refers to the seed and “cilantro” usually refers to the seed. However, I was just in England where the term “coriander” is used interchangeably for the seed and the leaf–something worth noting if you’re one of those folks who can’t stand cilantro. In this recipe, the coriander flavor will pop more if you grind whole coriander seeds fresh, and it will be more subtle if you use powdered coriander. I have an extra coffee grinder at home just for spices, because I don’t fancy my coffee tasting like coriander.

Mexican Green Goddess Dressing
Makes enough to dress one head of lettuce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pepitas (raw green pumpkin seeds)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
• juice and zest of 1 lime
• 3 green onions, trimmed, light green and white parts only
• 2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large pinch salt
• 6 Tblsp vegetable oil

Method:

• Put everything except the oil in a blender or food processor and blend to chop finely.
• With the blender going, add oil in a slow stream and process until smooth.
• If not eating immediately, store in a jar or closed container in the fridge.
• If it’s too thick, whisk in a bit of oil or water before serving to thin it out.