Last Sunday was Super Bowl XLVI and although I am very happy the NY Giants won the game, I have to say I did not watch it.  Instead  I watched a simple but cute movie,  The Big Year.  Just out on DVD, The Big Year centers around an informal competition among birders (Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black, among others) committed to a year of “birding” –  which means locating as many bird species as possible within one calendar year.  A fun movie with wonderful  scenery, glorious colors, and spectacular shots of birds (I had no idea how amazingly beautiful they all are).  A lot of laughs, which you would expect with the characters named above.    No, this is not a prelude for chicken or turkey recipes, but rather a commitment to myself to get back in shape this year, not next year or the year after.   So taking a spin-off from their Big Year, I am starting my own “Big Year” towards a healthier lifestyle (both food and exercise), starting today, February 7^th.  I may even try a little “birding” this year!

This recipe is a Lo-Carb dressing for salads that I adapted years ago from the Velvet Turtle Green Goddess Dressing – here is my version:

Green Goddess Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons anchovy paste

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream for whipping

4 Tbl fresh chives (don’t use freeze dried)

1-1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbl finely chopped parsley

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbl lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

1 Tbl vinegar

1/4 tsp whole celery seeds

1/2 ripe avocado, mashed

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Few drops green food coloring

 Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in food processer and blend until smooth.   Note that I crush the celery seeds in my hand to a very fine substance, as I don’t like the celery seeds to dominate the flavor of the dressing.   Yield: 3.5 cups

Each tablespoon:  1 gram carbohydrates, and 67 calories.

Photo by Suzie Ridler