Green Goddess Dip

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know how much I love avocados. I would be perfectly happy eating them at every meal. Come to think of it, I’m not sure why I don’t eat them at every meal! They are packed with all sorts of good stuff for your body and they’re just so darn versatile. Chunky or mashed or smooth – they’ve got a texture for every occasion. And since their flavor is pretty mild on their own, they play well with all sorts of other different foods.

And visually, someone might think this dip is its cousin, the much more common guacamole. But if you like guacamole, you’ll love the Green Goddess. Like guacamole, this dip has salt and citrus and even sports the cousin of cilantro, one of my favorite guacamole ingredients…but instead of cilantro, Green Goddess uses basil. In fact, this is my favorite recipe to make when I have extra basil around the house.

Parsley, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, olive oil, and…. Wait – what’s that? Anchovies?! Take a deep breath and don’t freak out. I know anchovies aren’t everyone’s favorite food…well, except for my Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill puts anchovies on everything. Crackers? Anchovies. Pizza? Anchovies. Steak? Yup, you guessed it: throw some anchovies on that beautiful fillet. But here’s what Uncle Bill knows that most people don’t: anchovies are salty. And when you mix a few little anchovies with all the other strong flavors in this dip, you’re not going to get a mouthful of fish.

What you’re going to get instead is the salt you need to balance the acid (lemon juice) and bring out the garlic and basil. And, the anchovies do more than just plain salt (naturally, because why else would we use them instead of plain salt?). They will add an earthy undertone to the dip. But I will guarantee you: only a real professional (who probably likes anchovies anyway) will know that there are anchovies in this dip. So don’t forgo those little fishies!

Some people question the coconut milk. What’s that doing in there? Is it really necessary? I say it is. This little bit of coconut milk – an eighth of a cup really isn’t that much (it’s actually 2 tablespoon, if that’s easier to measure) but it helps all the ingredients break down into a nice creamy, smooth texture. So I really like having it in there. And it’s another one of those ingredients that no one would guess is in your Green Goddess Dip by the way it tastes. Far too many other powerful flavors for the coconut to come through.

Another final tip: please do use fresh herbs and not dried. And the same thing goes for the garlic – don’t use powdered garlic – get the real, whole stuff. Just like other recipes with fresh herbs, could you make this dip using dried versions? Sure, I guess you could make it work. But fresh herbs make the whole recipe brighter and, well, fresher tasting. They really add to the “greenness” of this recipe. But if you have to use dried, remember to look up the conversion between dried and fresh herbs first – you’ll need different amounts!

So the next time you’re considering making guacamole, change things up a bit and give the Green Goddess Dip a try. Pair with a bunch of crunchy veggie strips and you have a super tasty, bright and fresh Paleo snack, ready to go!