I hear from a lot of women who really struggle to find a good salad dressing that is both healthful and delicious. That is doubly true if you’ve never had anything but the commercial bottled dressings, which are packed with plenty of things you don’t need to put into your body, such as huge amounts of excess sodium, dairy, and artificial colors and flavorings. The good news is that it’s easy and remarkably quick to make your own healthy dressings, and you can make several days’ worth at a time if you wish to minimize your food prep.

When I first began eating more healthfully, I simply used balsamic vinegar or orange juice as a salad dressing, but that got old pretty quickly. I then discovered a super-healthy recipe for a Ranch- or Caesar-like dressing (many, many thanks, Teresa!) that is flavorful, garlicky (in my book, this is always a good thing, though certainly you can minimize the quantity if you wish) and creamy like a traditional Ranch. Unfortunately it had a serious flaw. Or rather, I had a serious dilemma that required me to have to rethink the recipe entirely. I have mentioned this previously, but in addition to my commitment to healthy eating, my household also faces a few food sensitivities and allergies. And the original recipe called for soymilk as the liquid base, which is a no-no if I plan to share my salad with my husband.

It took a bit of experimenting, but I ultimately came up with an alternative that’s actually simpler to make than the original (which wasn’t at all tough to begin with!), and you can add in spices to taste or simply make it as is. The best part is that it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, start to finish, and all you need is a blender!

This recipe in particular is very versatile and can be used as salad dressing, dressing for potato salad, as well as a sauce to pour over steamed or raw veggies.

Here’s what you need:

1 cup of raw cashews
1 cup of water
3 tbsp. no-salt-added Dijon mustard (found at health food stores)
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper or to taste (I use 8-10 twists of my pepper mill)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
3 tbsp. lemon juice

To prepare the dressing, simply place all ingredients in a blender canister. (A high-powered blender like the Vita-Mix is not required, but will result in a creamier dressing than a standard blender.) Blend until smooth. Serve immediately or store until needed. Add in more water a teaspoon at a time if dressing is too thick.)

To add more Ranch-style flavor, after blending pour dressing into storage container of choice. Stir in 1/4 tsp. dried dill and 1/4 tsp. onion powder and mix well. Allow flavors to meld for at least 30 minutes before serving for best results.

Healthy eating notes:

This recipe constitutes 4 oz. of cashews, so 1/4 of this recipe equals 1 oz. of healthy fat.

If the raw garlic is too strong for your liking, try roasting the garlic before blending. Simply place in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until tender. Cool and blend into recipe. (I never do this, but it would make the dressing more mellow.)

As always, there is no salt added to this recipe because we get enough sodium from whole foods, but you can add some salt to taste (if you must). ;)

Copyright 2009 Jennifer McCay

www.LeanGreenMama.com