Smoked Turkey with Cantalope Salad, Roasted Garlic Croutons and Green Goddess Dressing

I was inspired to make an old fashioned salad dressing called Green Goddess, when I was in the supermarket and saw the wonderful variety of beautiful fresh herbs on display.  I recall trying Green Goddess salad dressing when I was young and loving it, but have not had it in a very long time. It reminds me of a steak dipping sauce that my Mom used to make for me which was similar in color and ingredients.  I don't know what the steak sauce was called because, in my home it was always referred to it as "Amy's steak Sauce" because I liked it so much.  That's even the title on the recipe in the little cookbook my mom put together for me a long, long, time ago.  It included a combination of fresh parsley, capers, mayonnaise, chili sauce and a few other goodies.  Anyway, I came across that recipe the other day and that made me think about Green Goddess dressing.  I made a mental note to recreate it when I came across some beautiful herbs.  Herbs were a plenty, and it was about time for me to have a nice healthy salad for dinner, hence, the Smoked Turkey and Cantalope Salad with Green Goddess Dressing.

The salad was a combination of red and green leaf lettuce, thinly sliced vidalia onions (yay, it's Vidalia onion season!), sliced English cucmber, smoked turkey from the deli counter and diced cantalope (I know it might sound  a bit odd, but you really should try it--cantalope in salad is so delicious!). 

I made croutons by cutting  a loaf of roasted garlic french bread into 1/2 cubes and placing them on a baking sheet.  I drizzled them with olive oil and sprinkled over salt and pepper.  They cooked in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  So good, they almost did not make it onto the salad!

For the Green Goddess dressing combine the following in a small food processor, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, handful of fresh dill, parsley, chives and a dash of hot sauce, salt and pepper.  Pulse until combined and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.