I was watching Jamie Oliver whip up a Green Goddess Dressing on his show 15 Minute Meals the other night. Made with avocado, fresh herbs and yoghurt to dress a Mexican tortilla salad. One concept I have struggled a little with on the 5-2 Challenge has been cutting the fat to produce  interesting and delicious low calorie sauces and dressings. Sometimes I want something a little bit more substantial than a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I’m happy to fast but I want my meagre 500 calories a day allocation to not only be healthy and jam packed with nutrients but delicious to boot.It’s the only way I can be sure that I will adhere to this eating plan for the long term.

I’d never eaten Green Goddess Dressing before but it looked delicious and I could think of quite a few ways in which I could incorporate it into my 5-2 eating plan. As a dressing. Obviously. As a dip with raw vegetable crudites. As a salsa to accompany meat, chicken or seafood. On feast days I could imagine using it as a spread in hamburgers or steak sandwiches. The list is endless really.

First port of call? A little history lesson about this intriguing dressing.  It seems it was created in 1923 by  Phillip Roemer, executive chef of the Palace Hotel, for a banquet in honor of   actor George Arliss, who at the time was starring in a popular play by William Archer entitled The Green Goddess. The  original recipe for Green Goddess Dressing still exists in  the annals of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Since the dressing was created, the Green Goddess Salad has become a permanent fixture on the menu  at the hotel. Its modern day interpretation is The Garden Court Crab Salad.  Featuring generous quantities of crab, mixed baby greens, fresh locally grown Californian vegetables. Offered with a choice of dressings, including the Green Goddess. Definitely a dish I would like to sample for myself when next I find myself in San Francisco.

The Original Green Goddess Dressing

1 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. each chives or scallions and parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 anchovy fillets, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl until well blended. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Obviously the inclusion of mayonnaise and sour cream, whilst undoubtedly delicious, just will not do on a fast day. So with Jamie for my inspiration here is a fast day friendly version of Green Goddess Dressing. Made with Avocado and Greek Yoghurt. Anchovies optional. It truly is delicious. At a calorie count of only 22 calories per tablespoon I will be dolloping it on my salads. Or perhaps dipping slivers of carrot and cucumber into it to stave off any errant afternoon hunger pangs. Sometimes there is nothing for it but to adapt a well loved recipe to fit the brief. And whilst I haven’t yet had the opportunity to make the Original Green Goddess recipe, I plan to one day soon.

 Green Goddess Dressing With Avocado and Greek Yoghurt.

Makes 1 cup which equals 16 tablespoons of dressing
351 calories per cup / 22 calories per tablespoon

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (65 calories)
1 small ripe Shepard avocado, pitted and peeled (250 calories)
2 handfuls of fresh soft herbs, choose from parsley, coriander, tarragon basil and mint (4 calories)
2 roughly chopped long green spring onions (10 calories)
1 clove garlic (4 calories)
2  anchovies ( optional) (16 calories)
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon juice (2 calories)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until herbs are finely chopped and all ingredients are combined into a smooth sauce. Store for 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.