I love throwing parties. I love party food. And I love creating some of the ‘old favorites’ with a new twist, and with no chemical additives or random additions also known as ‘non-food’ around here.

So, it was inevitable that I re-created that awesome 70’s ‘green goddess’ dip: It’s beautiful, it’s a great way to feature an array of fresh vegetables, and the combination of sour cream and buttermilk bring out some of the best qualities in the herbs and veggies.

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. container Organic Sour Cream (*not low fat)

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

8 oz. Feta Cheese

1 pkg Cultured Buttermilk Powder (or 2 TBSP, if you have a larger container)

3 Lacinato Kale Leaves

1/2 Bunch Fresh Dill

1/2 Bunch Fresh Cilantro

2 Green Onions or Fresh Chives

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

Salt + Pepper

CRUDITÉ:

Carrots

Radishes

Pepper Strips

Cucumbers

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Celery

Zucchini

Yellow Squash

Green Beans

*Use any combination of what you have, what you find at the farmers market, or what makes you happy

INSTRUCTIONS:

*Chop or tear the Kale Leaves in medium chunks, and put in the bottom of your blender or food processor.

*Add Sour Cream, Mayo, Dill, Cilantro, Green Onions/Chives + Lemon Juice. Start by pulsing the blender a few times and then ramping up the speed slowly, until the Kale Leaves are chopped up and all ingredients are blended in. You may need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides in order to get everything mixed in.

*Make sure to reserve a few of the fresh Herbs + Feta for a garnish.

*Once everything is incorporated, add the Buttermilk Powder and blend in. Before adding the Feta, taste the dip and see what you think. You may need to add more Herbs, more Onion, or more Lemon Juice at this time, but don’t add salt yet–the Feta is salty so you don’t want to over-do that part.

*Once it is tasting pretty good, add the Feta cheese by crumbling it in. Once you have added the Feta, be careful to just pulse the blender now, to keep some of the Feta chunks intact. On how chunky you want it is up to you. I mix it most of the way, leaving the Feta crumbles fairly small, but not completely mixed in.

*Add a bit of Salt + Pepper and adjust the Lemon and Buttermilk levels, if you need more tangy flavor.

*Pour into a bowl, cover and put into the refrigerator. This is best served fairly cold, and the dip will taste best if the flavors have an hour or more to meld. You can make the dip up to 24-hours before serving.

*Wash and chop your veggies for the crudité. Arrange them on a serving platter, large bowl or basket, and cover them if you aren’t using them right away.

*You can serve this immediately, or up to 24 hours after making it.

*Top with a few sprigs of Fresh Herbs and crumbled Feta just before serving.