Green Goddess Dip & Fresh Crudité — Making It Easy to Be Green This St. Patrick’s Day
With such an abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables, you might wonder if this recipe demands hours in the kitchen — it doesn’t. A quick whirl in a Vitamix or blender transforms everything into a gloriously vivid, jewel-toned green dip that is as stunning to look at as it is delicious to eat.
Even better, this dip actually prefers to be made a day or two ahead, giving that incredible blend of bright, herby flavors time to meld and deepen into something truly extraordinary. Simply pull it from the fridge just before serving and spoon it into crisp, curled cabbage leaves — the perfect edible vessel for such a showstopping dip.
6 scallions, including the whites and 4 inches of green, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
24 long chives, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch Italian parsley, washed and all thicker stems removed
20 stems tarragon, leaves and a few inches of the stocks {taste them, they’re full of flavor}!
1/4 cup mint leaves {loosely packed}
1/2 cup basil leaves {loosely packed}
salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION
Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, scallions, and chives to a Vitamix, food processor, or blender. Blend on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and beautifully uniform in color — you’ll start to see that gorgeous green hue come to life.
Add a generous handful of fresh herbs and increase the speed to high. Continue adding herbs in batches, blending as you go, until the mixture transforms into a deep, luscious green — vibrant and mostly smooth, but with beautiful flecks of darker leaf still visible throughout. You’re looking for that perfect balance: silky and blended, yet with just enough texture to remind you exactly what’s inside.
The mint used here are the first tender tips of Thai Spearmint, harvested fresh from one of my courtyard pots — a little harbinger of the season to come. I cultivate both peppermint and spearmint, and keeping them in containers is very much by design. Mint is wonderfully vigorous, spreading through horizontal roots with impressive ambition — left unchecked in a potager, it will happily claim the entire garden for itself. Containment, it turns out, is the secret to keeping this fragrant herb in its place.
As with so many great recipes, patience is rewarded here. Preparing this dip a few hours — or ideally a day or two — before serving allows those layers of bold, herby flavor to slowly meld and mature into something far more complex and beautiful than the sum of its parts.
For the display I lined a cork bowl with Dinosaur Kale leaves. For the display, I lined a rustic cork bowl with dramatic Dinosaur Kale leaves — their deep, textured fronds creating a stunning natural backdrop for the vibrant green dip and colorful crudité.
At the center of the display, I hollowed out a cabbage and tucked its outer leaves into natural, sculptural “bowls” to cradle the dip — a beautiful and entirely edible vessel. The cork bowl was then filled with an abundant, artfully arranged spread: tender bundles of blanched asparagus and green beans, crisp sugar snap peas, julienned green peppers, cool slices of peeled cucumber, and bright celery pieces — a celebration of everything fresh, green, and glorious about the season.
As Kermit the Frog so wisely reminded us, it isn’t always easy being green — but on St. Patrick’s Day, with a beautiful table, friends all around and a dip this delicious, I think we can all agree it has its privileges. Here’s to celebrating exactly who we are, in every shade of green and beyond.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! 🍀
It Isn’t Easy Being Green
It Isn’t Easy Being Green…
having to spend each day the color of the leaves, when I think it might be nicer to be red or yellow or gold, or something much more colorful like that.
It’s not easy being green,
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things, and people tend to pass you over ’cause your not standing out, like flashy sparkles in the water or stars in the sky.
but greens the color of Spring, and green can be cool and friendly~like. And green can be big like the ocean, important like a mountain or tall, like a tree.
When green is all there is to be, it can make you wonder why, but why wonder? Why wonder? I am green and it’ll do fine, it’s beautiful and I think it’s what I want to be.
YUMMO, thank you for this recipe! I am trying to get back to eating right after vacation of sweets and treats!!!
Welcome home RR, this does help you to eat your vegetables! xo, ebh
Hi Emily…green never looked so beautiful….wow, those are sheer works of art!
Thanks Tina! The gorgeous greenery makes it easy. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Beautiful, Emily! Love the fresh, vibrant greens and your display is a work of art. Hope you had a fun St. Patrick's Day! XOXO
Thank you Jeannie, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
xoox Love the Kernit song. was at the party where you brought the beautiful green goddess platter. attempting to make a vegan version of dip/dressing tonight. You’re a goddess!
Thank you Julie! Curious to hear how the vegan turns out. With all of the fresh herbs, I think any base would taste good. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
SO cute for st patrick’s day!
Thank you Sarah! It’s a fun presentation assemble. xo
YUMMO, thank you for this recipe! I am trying to get back to eating right after vacation of sweets and treats!!!