Creamy Cashew Dressing
Healthy dressings are hard to come by. And I mean HARD. Most on the market are filled with sugar, oil, salt, artificial and natural flavors, concentrates, dairy, various fillers and emulsifiers, the list goes on.
There is much confusion about whether oil of any kind is healthy. The truth is, oil is highly processed, not a whole food, 100% fat, has 120 calories per tablespoon (yowzah!), and is stripped of much of its nutrients. When looking to maximize nutrition, whole food sources of fats, like nuts and seeds, are much healthier and provide fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and more that is absent in oil!
What about fat-free dressings? While you may be avoiding oils with fat-free dressings, they are not a good choice either. Most of them are loaded with unhealthy ingredients AND the nutrients in dark green leafy veggies are fat soluble. In other words, our bodies need fats to absorb them. Do not fret, the Creamy Cashew Dressing recipe solves all of these problems as it provides healthy fats from whole foods!!
Why ruin a nutrient dense salad with a crappy dressing that is working against your health??
The easy solution is to make your own! In the beginning of the week, I make a big batch of this Creamy Cashew Dressing. Having it on hand at a moments notice has been nothing short of a life savor. Prepping this recipes weekly really encourages me to eat more salad and acts as my mayo replacement on sandwiches and other recipes!
Ingredients
1/2 cup Cashews
1 clove Garlic
1/2 cup Water
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1 tbsp Italian Spices
Juice of one Lemon
1 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
Salt to taste (optional)
Directions
Soak Cashews in water for 20 minutes.
Drain and add all the ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). You're done!
This versatile recipe can be used as a salad dressing, sandwich spread, drizzled over sweet potatoes, or as a delicious veggie dip.
Smother your salad of choice with this dressing for a truly crowd pleasing dish :)
I personally LOVE to massage it into kale topped with beans or tofu, white vinegar pickled red onions, carrots, purple cabbage, and whatever else I have in the fridge!!
For nutrient dense, oil-free chocolate recipes, check out the Choco-Healthy eBook!