Homegrown summer herbs and a yogurt/mayonnaise base make for a yummy salad dressing!

Ingredients: mayonnaise, nonfat plain yogurt, a squirt of anchovy paste, garlic, lemon, rice vinegar, salt and

A mix of herbs (maybe NOT basil, though?) : parsley, chives, tarragon.

Instructions:

1. Put 1/2 c mayonnaise and 1/3 cup yogurt into cuisnart along with five cloves of garlic, juice of half a lemon, dash of rice or white vinegar, a squeeze of anchovy paste, a teaspoon of stevia, and two fistfuls of herbs.

2. Mix

3. Add additional veggie for greener color, such as chard or spinach.

4. Taste and adjust acid, salt, and sweetener until dressing sings.

This adventure was based on two recipes from the NYTimes recipe app (which I cannot recommend enough). Here and here. Mostly the latter.

Note: the first recipe uses basil, so that might be worth a try. It also adds the creamier Greek yogurt which I definitely want to try.

Since I generally rely on the tried and true oil and vinegar dressing (with Dijon and garlic), this made for a really nice change.

Locally grown pepper, lettuce, radish and pea sprouts were worthy carriers of this Green Goddess mix!

Kitchen notes:

1. If you chop fast, leave a generous stub on your carrots, celery, cukes, etc. Since you’re a home cook and not a professional, you can pop these tidbits into your mouth. Way better than chopping a flap of your thumb off. Trust me I know.

2. Keep anchovy paste in the fridge. Essential for Caesar salad. Never goes bad, as far as I can tell.

3. Stevia is, by volume, four times sweeter than sugar. Adjust your dashes accordingly.

4. If you hand mix, use a whisk and a bowl with steep sides. But I have to say, this recipe is one of many reasons to keep a mini-cuisinart to hand.

5. Even if you live where growing veggies is impossible (like here — too much shade), treat yourself to container-grown herbs. It really is nice to have fresh basil, chives, sage, and parsley on hand. Pesto has been one of the most pleasurable foods of the summer (worth the outrageous cost of pine nuts!)

6. Re: knives. Either marry someone who will sharpen your knives for you or learn how to do so yourself. Nothing ruins kitchen prep like dull knives. * * * Having said that, it’s more important to know the status of your knife’s edge than to have a sharp one when it comes to safety. That is, as they say, another story, one that involves blood, an onion, and a poor attempt to assist a professional home chef in Cambridge.