Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (plant-based, gluten-free)
We eat some variation of salad or leftovers every day for lunch, so I'm always playing with different sauces and dressings to liven things up. This creamy dressing is made with cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, and a bit of dijon mustard, which makes regular lettuce taste remarkably like a traditional Caesar salad.I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! For today's inspiration, a quick reminder from the Dalai Lama:"Suffering is what makes you appreciate joy."The sweetest joys often come after the greatest suffering, as in, wow, I'm not feeling that immense pain anymore, and look how wonderful this moment is!We can start to notice small things like a flower, or a fluffy cloud, or fresh water, and feel so happy to just be here enjoying this right now.I wouldn't wish suffering on anyone, but I'm very grateful for the extraordinary gifts it has given me. So I can thank my suffering, and welcome the joy.
Ingredients
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
- ¾ cup cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 mins
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, squeezed
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 bunch lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Any salad garnishes you like, such as dried cranberries, roasted almonds, or poppy seeds
Directions
- Soak the cashews in very hot water for 10 minutes. This will make them easier to blend into a nice, creamy sauce.
- Use your blender to chop up the garlic cloves with several high-speed pulses. Add in the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon, water, mustard, salt and pepper. Blend until the dressing is very smooth.
- In a large bowl, mix the lettuce with the dressing and toss well. Voila! Couldn’t be easier. Serve in lovely bowls and top with any fruit, nuts, or seeds you like. Happy lunching! 🥗
Notes
Did you make this? Please let me know by tagging @maitricooks on Instagram and leave a rating in the comments below. Happy cooking, and lots of love!
Best lunch ever! 🙂