The original name for this recipe was Green Goddess Crunch Sandwich. Before making it, I had heard of Green Goddess dressing, but had never tried it. The most accepted theory on the dressing’s origin says it was created at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco in the early 1920s as a tribute to the actor George Arliss performing in the hit play The Green Goddess. That dressing contained anchovies, scallions, parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, vinegar & chives. A bottled version of the dressing was made by Seven Seas in the 1970s.
The dressing used in this sandwich retains some green color, but it comes from basil and scallions. Lemon juice replaces the vinegar and half of the mayo is replaced with Greek yogurt. The anchovies from the 1920s recipe are absent. But this is still a creamy dressing vibrant with herbs. I chose to rename my version of the sandwich for the primary ingredients in it, instead of the color of the dressing. After all, the dressing is just a minor player in the deliciousness of this lunch special. The cucumber and avocado are the stars with strong supporting roles by the fresh mozzarella & the sprouts. It makes for a tasty & unique midday meal!
Cucumber & Avocado Crunch Sandwich
Cucumber & Avocado Crunch Sandwich (adapted from Bon Appétit via epicurious.com) Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup basil
- 1 scallion
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 lemon, halved, divided
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
- 4 slices multigrain bread
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces mozzarella, sliced 1/4″ thick
- 2 cups bean, alfalfa or broccoli sprouts
Preparation:
Place the basil, scallion, mayonnaise, yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in the cup of a wand blender. Add the grated zest from half the lemon and squeeze in the juice of 1/4 of the lemon. Blend until the dressing is smooth and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Put together the dressing.
Place the cucumber slices in a small bowl and squeeze the juice from half a lemon over it. Drizzle a touch of oil over the cukes and season them with salt and pepper. Toss it all together to coat the slices.
Add the juice of half a lemon to the cuke slices.
And some oil, salt, & pepper.
Spread one side of two slices of bread with some dressing.
Spread some dressing on one slice of bread for each sandwich.
Divide the avocado between two slices of bread.
Layer the avocado on the sandwich.
Top the avocado with the cucumber slices, then the mozzarella, and sprouts. Drizzle some dressing over the sprouts.
Then the cucumber slices.
Next, the mozzarella slices.
Then, the sprouts.
Add a touch more dressing to the top side.
Add the second slice of bread to the sandwiches and serve with any additional dressing for dipping, if desired.
Awesome!
There’s lots of green & crunch in this sandwich! ~Linda
Cucumber & Avocado Crunch Sandwich (adapted from Bon Appétit via epicurious.com) Makes 2 sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup basil
- 1 scallion
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 lemon, halved, divided
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
- 4 slices multigrain bread
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces mozzarella, sliced 1/4″ thick
- 2 cups bean, alfalfa or broccoli sprouts
Preparation:
Place the basil, scallion, mayonnaise, yogurt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in the cup of a wand blender. Add the grated zest from half the lemon and squeeze in the juice of 1/4 of the lemon. Blend until the dressing is smooth and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the cucumber slices in a small bowl and squeeze the juice from half a lemon over it. Drizzle a touch of oil over the cukes and season them with salt and pepper. Toss it all together to coat the slices..
Spread one side of two slices of bread with some dressing. Divide the avocado between two slices of bread. Top the avocado with the cucumber slices, then the mozzarella, and sprouts. Drizzle some dressing over the sprouts. Add the second slice of bread to the sandwiches and serve with any additional dressing for dipping, if desired.