Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing

I 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 I do!


Ingredients

  • 2-4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
  • 3/4 cup cashews, soaked in hot water for 10 mins
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 lemon, squeezed
  • 1/2 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! 🥗


Inspiration

A quick reminder from the Dalai Lama today:

“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.

Chef Maitri Carmichael brings a creative and peaceful energy to every plate. She grew up in Toronto with a British Grandma and an Italian Nonna who showed their love through food, then she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years, spending her free time at community farms and zen kitchens. Originally a scientist and biotech entrepreneur, she graduated from the Vegan Chef School in London (2021) and the Raw Food Culinary Academy in Vancouver (2023), and is now settled in Hawaii.

2 responses to “Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing”

  1. maitricookswithlove Avatar

    Best lunch ever! 🙂

  2. […] Use your baked tofu for sandwiches, salads, stir-fries, or enjoy straight from the oven! If you want to try the kale Caesar version I made, the recipe for my plant-based Caesar dressing is here. […]

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