Photo: Green Goddess dressing with Oceanwise Haida Gwaii halibut

This garden-fresh herb dressing can be used for salads, as a dip and as a sauce for fish and other proteins

At The Teahouse restaurant in Vancouver’s iconic Stanley Park, we are lucky to have stunning views of the water and mountains, some of the most amazing sunsets in the city, and we also have a garden surrounding the property, which helps us to be more sustainable and benefits the environment.

The kitchen uses many herbs from the garden. Bay leaf and rosemary are particular favourites of mine and I use them in many recipes to enhance the flavour. We use both when we cook our potatoes, and rosemary goes into other starches, such as quinoa and lentils, to add a little extra earthy flavour. All of our stocks, brines and cures all contain a good amount of those herbs, as well as thyme, oregano, sage, chives and mint.herbs

This recipe is vegan-friendly as we have omitted the dairy and other animal ingredients so that everyone can enjoy a taste of the garden. During the warmer months, chives and mint are a great addition to the heartier herbs that grow year-round. This Green Goddess Dressing highlights these items as well as other fresh herbs.

 

INGREDIENTS

  • ¾ cup cashews
  • ½ cup water
  • 5 avocados
  • ⅔ cup smooth Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1⅓ cups extra virgin olive oil
  • 1⅓ cups canola oil
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup Italian parsley
  • ¼ cup mint
  • ½ cup green onion
  • ½ cup chives
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2½ tsp miso paste

     

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. The trick to making this a creamy dressing is soaking the cashews, so bring water to a boil in your kettle and pour it over the cashews. Let them soak for a minimum of 5 minutes.
  2. Start with the cashews and water in the blender. Blend to the finest paste that you possibly can.
  3. Add all the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend to as smooth a paste as possible.
  4. Adjust any seasoning at this point—salt, acidity, sweetness—to your personal taste.
  5. If you are using this as a dressing, you may want it more liquidy so add more of the water. If you are using it as a dip, keep it thick.