Dressings and Sauces Archives - Real Food and Drinks

Savory Tahini Salad Dressing (Oil-Free)

Hi, ya’ll. I’ve been using this savory tahini salad dressing over my meal bowls this week. And this week, I’ve been eating a lot of my favorite beans – chickpeas. And chickpeas just remind me of tahini because I used to get falafel wraps from this small Greek restaurant that served them with tahini dressing.

Now, this tahini dressing has some sweetness along with hints of savory flavors and there is no yogurt added. Most traditional tahini dressings are yogurt-based, so feel free to add plain plant-based yogurt to this recipe as well. Also, there are no added oils. The tahini dressing has enough of its own oil. (This is also why there is no need to add oil to hummus when using tahini. See my hummus recipe in this post.)

I usually make this in a small mason jar so that I can shake it up easily and pour it onto my salads/bowls.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup plant-based milk, plain
1/2 TBS liquid sweetener (Maple Syrup, Honey?)
1/2 tsp Liquid Aminos (or Soy Sauce)
1/2 to 1 tsp Sriracha sauce (or hot sauce) – if you like it a bit spicy and of course you can add more
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic granules
1/4 tsp cumin
juice from squeezing 1/4 of a lemon wedge

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a small jar (such as a mason jar) and shake.

Here is a link to the chickpea salad I’ve been enjoying this week.

Vegan Cheese Sauce – Upgraded!

Have you ever heard of “cheese” sauce that is made with “oats”? Here are three reasons why this is a winner in my book:

1 – Much cheaper than cashews (which was the nut of choice for making “cheeze” sauce).

2 – Extremely low-fat. About 1.5 grams for the entire 6 cups! By today’s standards, that’s really “no-fat”, but we know that all food groups contain some amount of fat, even fruits.

3. It’s delicious!

This is definitely my new “goto”, UPGRADED “cheese” sauce. I am updating this recipe to reflect the additions that I made to the original recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic granules (or 1 roasted garlic clove – my addition)
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika (my addition)
1 12-oz. jar Roasted Red Bell Peppers in water for the lowest fat possible
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Pecan or Apple liquid smoke (optional, I didn’t use this)
4 cups warm water

Note: Make sure to cook the cheese sauce until it’s steamy to create the thickest sauce.

Tip to make this more TEX-MEX: The first time I made this I substituted salsa for some of the roasted red bell peppers. Or you can simply add to the “cheese” sauce once done.

Directions:

Dump all the ingredients into a high-speed blender (that can cook contents).
Blend until steam forms and the machine will sound like it has completed the job. (The sound changes from blending to like it’s just spinning its wheels). This takes about 5 minutes depending on how warm/hot the water is that you start with.
Voila! You are done. Pour into a bowl or jar that you can easily scoop out of. It will thicken even more as it cools.

I used this “cheese” sauce in a Tex-Mex casserole. (See the recipe.)

I’m not sure how I came across “Jill’s 5-minute Game Changer [Vegan] Cheese Sauce “! I had my doubts for sure, but in her video, she was so confident that I had to give it a try and boy am I glad I did. My video shows TEX-MEX varieties. Adding salsa truly makes this a game-changer cheese sauce.

Cucumber Caesar Salad Dressing

I made the dressing not knowing what I would use for the salad ingredients, but I’m happy that I found this Cucumber Caesar Salad Dressing combination and I wanted to share it with you right away.

I decided to try this dressing because my daughter likes Caesar salad dressings.

And I enjoy cucumbers, especially when I can find really great tasting ones. That usually means a trip to the Farmers Market though. Yet, sometimes I find that the mini packaged cucumbers taste good too. Yet, the best cucumbers I’ve ever had were those that I grew in my own garden. I wish you the best in finding some good cucumbers for this salad.

Caesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw cashews
1/8 cup raw pine nuts, or raw sesame seeds (I didn’t have either, so I used tahini paste.)
3 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1 tsp miso paste (I used a mellow white. See note* below.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp kelp granules (I used powdered kelp.)
1 tsp honey, or liquid sweetener of choice
1/4 cup of water (I added more for a thinner version.)
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil, optional (Omit for oil-free version).

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients in a small food processor or in a blender until smooth.

*Note about miso paste: If miso paste is kept in the freezer it will last for at least a year. It never freezes solid, so it’s easy to measure out what you need as you need it.

SERVE: I served over a salad of sliced cucumbers, split cherry tomatoes and chopped celery. I will definitely make this Cucumber Caesar Salad again in the near future (like tomorrow).

It is so YUMMY! It’s quick and easy. I hope you will try it soon.

Click for more salad dressing recipes.

Watch Creamy Cumin Ranch Oil-Free Salad Dressing and a Vegan Tex-Mex Salad on YouTube.

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

This dressing has a tangy, burst of flavor. The cashews give it a creamy texture. I used the Vitamix which made it quick and easy.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of filtered water
1 -2 small garlic cloves
1 TBS honey
1 -2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup cashews (soaked is preferable)
splash of lemon juice (optional, adds more “tang”)
dried herbs of your choice (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Add all ingredients except for the dried herbs to a blender and blend.
Add dried herbs if using them.

Other Suggestions:

Use fresh herbs in place of dried herbs. Basil is a nice addition. (Add once blended just to chop a bit, but not to puree the fresh herbs.)
Use 1/8 cup balsamic and 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar.

Creamy Cumin Ranch Dressing

I finally got around to making this salad dressing and I’m happy that I did. I added to a Tex-Mex salad and…..YES! Yummy!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup raw cashews (soak 1 – 2 hours if you do not have a high-speed blender)
1/2 cup filtered water
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 TBS)
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp snipped chives (or the top green part of green onions)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender for a very smooth dressing.

Note: This dressing recipe contains 50-70 calories per TBS. (50 calories if you only use 1/2 cup cashews)

Salad Dressing No/Low Oil

So, why would anyone want a no oil salad dressing*?

Eliminate IBS Symptoms (Oils can trigger IBS and acid reflux)
Difficulty digesting fats. Perhaps you don’t produce enough of the lipase digestive enzymes, you need to give your gall bladder a rest, or had your gall bladder removed.
Reduce calories – just 1 TBS of oil contains at least 100 calories.
Savings – if you use oils in your salads, you want to use the best possible oils so that you get the best nutritional benefit. Never use hydrogenated oils in your salads because they overload your digestive system. A healthy, cold-pressed oil, such as extra virgin olive oil, cost more than hydrogenated oils, but are better for your health – or you can just leave oils out and save on your food budget.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vinegar (raw apple cider vinegar is my top choice)
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3/4 cup filtered or spring water
2 – 3 fresh sprigs of parsley
2 – 4 drops of Stevia
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 – 2 TBS color bell peppers (or 1/2 – 1 TBS dried)
1 – 2 TBS chia seeds (this will thicken the dressing)
1 tsp dried herbs (use an Italian blend or mix single herbs of oregano, rosemary, dill, etc)
up to 3/4 tsp salt (I wouldn’t use anymore than that)
dash to 1/8 tsp pepper

* If you desire a garlic flavor though, the best way is to opt for a modified “low-oil” version and add 1 TBS of a garlic infused oil for flavoring. This would still be low-calorie since you won’t be using the entire recipe on one serving of salad.

Directions: Blend all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix.

Cashew Cilantro Cream Sauce

I had just bought a new bunch of cilantro and I removed all the stalks and leaves that were loose because I didn’t want them to go “bad” at the bottom of the jar. (This is how I keep my herbs fresh in the fridge.) So I was left with a bunch that I wanted to use up in

a hurry. I decided to make an alternative to the cheese topping for the variety of plant-based tacos that I eat very often – so I searched the internet looking for a cilantro sauce. This was the first to appear. I found it at The Baking Fairy’s website (see below), but here is my recipe. I think next time I will definitely try fresh garlic (1/2 to 1 clove) and fresh onions (1/8 inch slice), yet this recipe is still a good one.

Ingredients:

1 cup soaked cashews
1/4 cup cashew milk (or any unsweetened nut milk, I used almond milk)
1/4 cup or more of cilantro (packed tightly)
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/2 jalapeno (I only had jalapeno juice from my homemade pickled jalapeno peppers)
3/8 – 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/8 – 1/2 tsp onion powder
3/8 – 1/2 tsp sea salt
a little pepper is also a nice addition

Directions:

Add all ingredients except for the nut milk to a blender and blend.
Add nut milk as needed until you get to your desired consistency.

The original recipe for this sauce was found at https://www.thebakingfairy.net/2017/05/sofritas-tacos-cashew-cream/.

Eggplant and Tomato Pasta Marinara Sauce

This was really yummy. The texture of the eggplant mixed with diced tomatoes was right on target in this marinara sauce. I made the sauce in my InstantPot (love that appliance).

I cut the eggplant into cubes and just added it to the pot along with tomatoes and other seasonings and voila! I was done…

…except for the cooking of the pasta. Sometimes I cook the pasta in the Instant Pot too, but lately I seem to have trouble with getting perfect pasta …and my guess is that it’s probably because I was cooking gluten-free pasta. I think the better outcome has been with wheat pasta. (If anyone has any helpful hints on cooking gluten-free pasta in the InstantPot, please let me know. Thanks in advance.)

Back to the sauce..I cooked the eggplant until it was mushy. I liked it best this way because it was easy to combine with the tomatoes. The mixture of these two vegetables are superb. Yet, I call this a marinara because it’s very light vs. being more dense and doesn’t have any tomato paste which would make the sauce thicker.

This recipe makes about 2 – 3 servings. You can easily double it.

Ingredients:
1 small eggplant
1 small can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onions
1/8 cup of chopped bell peppers (your choice)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp or so of dried herbs (basil, oregano, Italian herb mix,

spinach to stir into pot after cooking or directly onto the plate (I prefer fresh)

Instant Pot Directions:

Put all ingredients into the inner pot.
Press manual, then adjust settings to 6 minutes.
Allow natural release (if you have enough time to wait)
Adjust seasonings
Stir in spinach (optional)

Stove-Top Directions:

Cook onion and garlic on low heat until soft. I prefer using water to steam the vegetables, so that I don’t have to add oils to cook with.
Add eggplant and a little salt to help soften, then cook about 5 minutes while stirring frequently.
Add diced tomatoes and remaining seasonings. Cook, covered over low heat until everything is very soft and (I prefer) mushy. Make sure your pan isn’t too high and use a small burner so the sauce doesn’t burn. This step may take about 10 more minutes.
Adjust seasonings
Stir in spinach (optional).

Note: That is a corn-based pasta in the photo. Gluten free pastas that contain corn seem to cook the best.

Homemade Catalina Dressing – Oil-Free

I had a mango and a red bell pepper and recall making a dressing out of the two a while back. But this time, I added a few more ingredients. Then end result is a dressing that reminded me of Catalina Dressing, but this one is Oil-Free.

Catalina was my salad dressing of choice when I was a child and likely when I was also a teen. Of course it was from a bottle and one that is a very popular salad dressing brand. (OKAY, I feel a bit uncomfortable sharing that, but there are really more healthy options…such as the one I’m about to give you below.)

Granted, my salad as a child only consisted of cucumbers, tomato and iceberg lettuce. Yeah I guess, it’s a good start for anyone, but I finally learned that I love all vegetables and now I rarely eat a salad made of only 3 vegetables. Okay…enough of reminiscing about my childhood, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 small mango (Ataulfo mangos are the perfect size)
1/4 of a small to medium red bell pepper
1 TBS apple cider vinegar (use lemon juice instead for Sadkhin Diet)
1 clove garlic, small
1 – 2 inch piece of zucchini or cucumber (if more liquid is desired)
salt to taste (approx 1/8 tsp, optional)

Other possible add-ins:These are optional add-ins that are similar to most recipes that you will find online for Catalina Dressing.

Honey (if you need it sweeter, but Ataulfo mangos are usually very sweet)
If you want/need the extra “good” fat, add some extra virgin olive oil
Tomato slice or 1 tsp tomato paste
Onion slice or onion powder
Dash of paprika

Directions: Blend all the ingredients together in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Use as desired.

I just poured it all on top of my salad and dug in. YUMMY!

Sadkhin Cabbage Salad – Three Ways

Recently I prepared three cabbage salads for the Grand Opening Event of Sadkhin Houston. Sadkhin is a weight loss program that doesn’t require any special foods, just mainly fresh fruits and vegetables.

One highly recommended vegetable for the Sadkhin Diet is raw cabbage. Also, since the diet suggests having no more than three vegetables/fruit combinations in each dish, we created the following cabbage salads for client sampling. (Note: Herbs, most spices, onions and garlic may be used freely. Also allowed are lemon juice and honey.)

Mexican Slaw

1 large head of green cabbage

1/2 – 1 pound of carrots

1 – 2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 – 1/2 bunch of cilantro (about 1/2 cup, packed)
For dressing, whisk together juice of 1 1/2 lemons (about 1/4 cup) and 1 lime, 1/2 of small jalapeno (seeds removed), 1/2 tsp cumin, salt (about 1/2 – 1 tsp) and a dash of granulated garlic, cayenne and honey to taste Optional: Add a fruit – mango would be good in this one also.

Mexican Slaw

Apple Slaw
1 large head of green cabbage
3 -4 kale leaves, thinly sliced
2 medium Granny Smith apples
For the dressing, whisk together juice of 1 1/2 lemons (about 1/4 cup), 1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 1/2 tsp dried dill, salt (about 1/2 – 1 tsp) and honey to taste

Apple Slaw

Asian Slaw
1 small head of green cabbage
1 small head of purple cabbage
1 – 2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 – 2 Ataulfo mangos, diced small
1/2 tsp fresh ginger juice (or 1/2 tsp dried ginger spice)
10 leaves of fresh mint
For the dressing, whisk together juice of 1 1/2 limes (about 1/4 cup – also can add lime zest if you like) about 1/2 – 1 tsp salt and honey to taste

Asian Slaw

I also put together an Italian oil-free salad dressing. (Simply omit the apple-cider vinegar and possibly use more lemon juice to make this oil-free dressing Sadkhin Diet compliant.)