One of the biggest stumbling blocks I encountered after making the decision to severely reduce the amount of oil I used in cooking and baking was how to make salad dressing. I was completely stumped. Red wine vinaigrette with copious amounts of olive oil had been my go-to dressing. For ideas I turned to Ann Esselstyn’s recipes in Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. They filled the gap, but I wasn’t thrilled with them; I needed a whole heck of a lot more flavor. Adding nuts to a basic oil-free dressing created that nice, creamy richness I craved and took the edge off of the tang of vinegar. From there it was just a matter of adding my favorite flavors.
This recipe has been shared on Healthy Vegan Friday!
Oil-free Sweet & Tangy Green Chile-Chipotle-Cilantro Salad Dressing
Makes 2 cups
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lager beer
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup pepitas
juice of 1 lime
2 oz. chopped green chiles
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco
1/8 tsp. chile powder
1/8 tsp. coriander
pinch salt & black pepper
small handful of cilantro
1 small nub of fresh turmeric
1 clove garlic
1 date
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until very smooth.