By Susan Reda, Development & Communications for Learning Outside
We are fortunate to have several Farmers’ Markets conveniently located in our area and I promise you that many of the vendors’ tables are laden with spring greens! Swiss chard, arugula, spinach, and multiple varieties of lettuces. I recommend purchasing several bags of different greens to expand your palate.
Goddess Greens with a Golden Crown is delectable salad piled high on a plate, adorned with green goddess dressing and crowned with a sunny side up farm egg. Place the dish before your guests and encourage them to pierce the egg yolk and delight in the sublime hues, textures and tastes!
With the aid of a child or two, you can prepare this in just a blink! Plus, my method involves child magnet activities: swishing greens around in a sink full of cold water, slinging around a (freshly laundered) pillow slip filled with wet greens as a fun method of drying them, exerting muscle power to mash and smash avocadoes, and the indescribable joy of cracking eggs.
Spring Greens
Salad greens, washed, gently dried, and torn into bite-size pieces. Six cups loosely packed.
Goddess Dressing
Makes ¾ cup
½ t sugar
1 t salt
1 lime, juiced
1 avocado
½ T Dijon mustard
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1. Add first three ingredients in a large bowl.
2. On a cutting board, slice the avocado in half; remove seed and scoop out flesh. Using the tines of a fork or a pastry cutter, mash the flesh into a smooth paste, with as few lumps as possible.
3. Add avocado, mustard to bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and stir vigorously to desired texture is reached. If you need more liquid, you can add ice water to thin it. If you prefer to have it even smoother, pull out the blender and give it a whir.
Egg Crown
One large farm egg per serving, poached or fried. (Not sure how to poach an egg? Alton Brown will show you how!)
Assemble
Place ½ of the dressing in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Add greens and gently toss, from bottom of bowl, until greens are evenly coated. Pile “goddessed” greens on dinner plate and top with the egg. Salt and pepper to taste.
Susan’s suggestion: Store the remaining half of dressing in a tightly covered small jar, to be used later for a dip for raw vegetables or as spread for sandwiches.
