Green goddess pasta salad and Asian influenced peanut sauce marinade

To do tomorrow: mix marinade, get chicken into bags, bring some veggies and get fruit packed up.

Add herbs to dressing, cook pasta, shred cheese and slice vegs.

Don't forget rum and coke.

Green Goddess Dressing:

1/2 cup light mayo
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 TB scallions (or chives), minced finely
1 TB tarragon, minced finely
1 TB watercress (or spinach), minced finely
1 TB cup parsley, minced finely
1 tsp oregano, minced finely
1 fillets white anchovy, minced (sub 1 tsp fish sauce for the more squeamish)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB lime juice
1/2 TB white wine vinegar (or just double up on lime)

Stir together mayo and sour cream with all the green herbs. In a small bowl mix the anchovy, garlic, lime juice and vinegar and whisk into the sour cream and mayo mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.

Goddess Pasta Salad: 

For 1/2 lb macaroni or other favored pasta salad noodles

1 large cucumber, sliced into thin rounds and then quartered
1 package cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 small bunch green onions (5-6), sliced into thin rounds
1/2 lb cooked chicken, shredded or cut into chunks (shrimp is also an excellent substitute)
2-3 ripe avocados
1/2 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1 TB fresh tarragon, chopped
1 TB parsley, chopped
1/2 TB cilantro, chopped (opt.)

Stir together noodles and 1/2 cup of dressing. Add all veggies and herbs and stir well. Add remaining dressing just before serving.

Note: I have updated this to include tarragon which I used to not be super into, but have since grown to love it. A few years ago one of my friends gifted me a tarragon plant and I popped it into my garden because I can't just go murdering innocent baby plants because I "am still learning about" their flavors. I was absolutely shocked about how well it did and how it kept coming back every year (as perennials are wont to do), growing in wonderful harmony right up next to--and all up in--my sage plant.


Peanut Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8-1/4 canola oil
3-4 TB creamy PB
1 TB miso
2 TB white wine, sake or even beer in a pinch
1/2 lime squeezed
3 clvoes garlic, pressed or minced very fine
3 slices ginger about 1/4 inch thick, minced

Mix toether and store in a snapple bottle to pour onto chicken once it thaws.