VEGAN RANCH DRESSING

This recipe is simple and delicious without the unhealthy ingredients found in typical store-bought Ranch dressings. It’s a lot easier to eat a huge salad when it is dressed with fabulous flavors that you love. This dressing also makes a great dip for raw vegetables. I aim for a diet that is 50% raw.

“I Can’t Believe It’s Cashew” Ranch Dressing recipe can be found at the “No Meat Athlete” blog.

When buying any salad dressing, read the ingredient list first before worrying about the nutritional information. If the ingredient list is unhealthy, put the item back on the store shelf. Typical Ranch ingredients that do not support health includes vegetable oil, egg yolk, sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives.

Here’s a 2 minute video by Dr. Michael Greger about whether we should eat raw vs cooked foods to reduce the risk of heart disease: Raw Veggies vs. Cooked for Heart Disease

VEGAN RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups pre-soaked cashews, rinsed, drained (soak in hot water for 1-2 hours or in filtered water overnight)

1 cup filtered water

1-2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon sea salt or, to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or, to taste

Optional: 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I didn’t add hot sauce but did stir in a bit of dried chives after blending)

Instructions

Blend all ingredients till creamy and smooth in a high speed blender. Make sure not to blend so long that it gets hot. If too thick, add more water.

This dressing thickens in fridge, so add a little water as needed to thin before using.