TikTok Is Obsessed With Baked By Melissa's Green Goddess Salad Recipe
Melissa Ben-Ishay, creator of Baked by Melissa, might need to change her name to "Chopped by Melissa" because the baker's latest salad recipe is going viral. Demonstrating how to make it in her satisfying TikTok post, Ben-Ishay shared her popular Green Goddess Salad recipe in ASMR style. For those unfamiliar, ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response and refers to a relaxed and tingly sensation many people experience from simple sounds like slicing, crunching, or whispering (via Vox) — all of which Ben-Ishay implores in her delicious-looking video recipe.
Follower Sam commented on the TikTok video, "I keep rewatching this simply because the sound of you cutting everything and dropping it into the blender is so satisfying lol." And Ben-Ishay replied, "Chopping ASMR is the best." This Green Goddess salad was likened by some users to guacamole, creating a fine mix and edible with a chip. One follower helpfully listed out the ingredients for easy access for everyone else watching: "Cabbage, cucumber, chives. Souce [sic]: shallot, garlic, chives, olive oil, lemon/lime juice, rice vinegar, walnut, cashews, spinach+basil, [nutritional] yeast."
Viewers might find it strange that a baker known for cakes and cupcakes is going viral over her salad, but as Ben-Ishay shared, "I love salad, like, equal to the way I love cupcakes. As a little girl, I would help my grandma make salads. She would let me cut before a child should be able to cut" (via "Today").
The finely diced salad appeal of the TikTok video
One of Melissa Ben-Ishay's salad trademarks is her fine dicing skills. As she shared, "I love a good chopped salad." She also added, via "Today," "At my core, I'm a creator, so the process of creating is what I find good. Chopping is therapeutic for me. My friends love watching me chop." In addition, the talent said she loves salads that can be eaten with chips — adding an extra crunch and an extra dimension to the flavors. Ben-Ishay advises that every salad should start with a leafy green base, add seasonal fresh vegetables, and level things up with added sprouts for nutrition, texture, and flavor.
Another hit by this cook and baker is her Mediterranean salad, currently liked by more than 3.1 million viewers (via TikTok). Ben-Ishay describes this creation as the "reason she married her husband," and noted it's "really that good," and further added her family finishes it in about a minute once prepared. Like her traditional fine dice, this healthy mix of vegetables simply shouts for chips or tortillas as a vehicle to consume it all. Said one follower, "I'm Mexican and I automatically want to put that on a taco," while another pointed out, "Its a Persian salad actually. Salad Shirazi."
If you'd like to make this delicious Mediterranean meal, Ben-Ishay lists the ingredients and the directions online at "Today." You'll need cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, and kalamata olives for the main ingredients, plus a very sharp knife.